


The Treasure Seeker - Saga 1

by TheShatteredRose



Series: Treasure Seekers [1]
Category: Etrian Odyssey Series, 世界樹の迷宮V 長き神話の果て | Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth
Genre: EO5, M/M, Male Cast, Male Friendship, Male Slash, Platonic Male/Male Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-17
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-02-03 12:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 100,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12748674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShatteredRose/pseuds/TheShatteredRose
Summary: Dragoon Drayce Pendragon comes from a long line of notorious treasure hunters and rebellious archaeologists. When he is asked by Prince Ramus himself to enter Yggdrasil, his goal isn't to be the first to reach the highest branch or defeat the strongest monster. His goal is to document every myth and find every treasure rumoured to be inside - and outside - the mysterious Yggdrasil. To do that, however, he needs a guild. Fortunately he has inherited his own ridiculously large guildhouse to house them in!{Etrian Odyssey 5 Novel}





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, finally starting an EO5 book~! I’ve been talking about it a lot so I thought I better bite the bullet and start it :D Before I start, though, I need to clarify a few things. One; I am not necessarily following canon here. I’m taking some canon information and just running with it because, well, why not? I’m doing my own thing and making up my own shit, as I usually do. There will probably be a few spoilers here or there, but I won’t go into great detail. So, yeah, no asking why I didn’t do this or why I did that when it wasn’t in the game. I’m taking some artistic liberties here and running with them.
> 
> Two; I’m going out of my usual norm and trying something different. Instead of a 40+ chaptered novel, I’m going more for short saga series, concentrating on a floor at a time. Ambitious? Absolutely. How far will I take it? Let’s see~
> 
> That’s all I can think of at the moment. I’m excited about finally starting a new series and I hope you’ll enjoy reading this as well. I’ll try to update at least once a week, but I’ll be sure to warn you if I can’t.

The horse driven carriage rambled along the stone paved roads that led into the city of Iorys. The sun was high in the sky of clear blue, not a cloud to be seen. But what was the most notable was the large tree that stood above the bustling city. With its far reaching branches, reaching well beyond the limit of the naked eye and the twisting, some would say spirally dancing trunk and spiralling roots that reached deep into the earth.

Yggdrasil.

The mythical Tree of Life, as some cultures claim.

Drayce rested his elbow upon the window of his carriage and stared up at the mighty tree. While many found the tree to be daunting, with its twisting branches and mysterious glows of purple and blue seen higher up, Drayce saw it as a dream come true to be finally allowed to traverse the mysterious labyrinth found inside.

For over a thousand years the tree and any exploration had been completely forbidden in the wake of the devastating Legendary War. It had been magically protected by powerful Celestians and feverishly guarded by Earthlain royals.

Though Yggdrasil had been sealed away, the myths and legends of the mighty tree continued still. And with it, the seemingly never ending gossip and tales of powerful treasures. The most famous, in the treasure hunting community at least, was the legendary treasures that the infamous and dangerous royal simply known as the Despot had acquired and then hidden, for he was the one responsible for the devastations of Yggdrasil all those years ago.

Drayce knew all about the treasures and myths of the Legendary War. He, after all, came from a long line of feisty treasure hunters and rebellious archaeologists. The Pendragon Boys as they were often known as. With his skills as a dragoon, there wasn't a place on this planet that he wasn't willing to venture.

Tearing his gaze away from the tree, Drayce looked down at the scroll in his hand. The one with the royal Iorys seal.

To think that he was lucky enough, that his family was notorious enough, to be asked by Prince Ramus of the Earthlain people to visit and to, hopefully, work with or for him in the hopes of recovering ancient treasures that were lost during the Legendary War.

Honestly, it was a dream job for anyone, let alone someone who had been raised as a treasure hunter and archaeologist.

His request to visit Iorys came at the best time, actually. His grandfather left him the deed to his ramshackle guildhouse before he took off on a so-called “Merry Adventure”. Adventures he was prone too. Old age hadn’t slowed him down in the slightest. But there was a good reason for that now.

His beloved wife passed away just a couple of months ago. And since then, he had been on many adventures.

Though it was probably wrong to think, but Drayce did believe that after his grandmother's death, his grandfather simply lost the plot and threw himself back into exploration in order to hide his grief at his beloved wife's death. And to, perhaps, mourn on his own for a while.

He could understand why his grandfather would do such a thing. His grandparents had been married for well over 50 years. Childhood sweethearts. He loved her to bits. They were also so affectionate in a sweet way. And his grandmamma was such a beloved and key figure in his life that Drayce himself still felt the sting of her passing. She was and always well be sorely missed by many.

It probably didn’t help matters that many people from the treasure hunting community and their village believed that his grandmother, or Grandmamma as he called her, died from a broken heart. Drayce felt that it was true. He knew it was. He just…couldn’t remember who or what it was that broke her heart.

Drayce idly rubbed at his right temple with the heel of his palm as he fingers curled into his short red hair. His Grandmamma’s heart must have been broken about the same time he lost part of his memories. When he was about nine years old. He could remember vague things of his childhood, but they were just that. Vague. And they didn’t make sense.

He couldn’t help but feel that something was missing. Something important. Something that was…very important to him. A part of him.

“Hey, Hotshot, quit daydreaming, we’re almost at the centre of Iorys.”

With a shake of his head, Drayce pulled himself from his thoughts and lifted his gaze to look at the blue-haired man that sat across from him in the carriage. With his narrow eyes and stern pout constantly on his lips, Blayke, his best friend, looked like the perpetual sour-puss. He was oh-so easy to rile up, though, and had a limit supply of patience.

But as a fencer, he was sharp-witted, quick on his feet, and willing to fight by Drayce’s side no matter what kind of trouble they found themselves in. Sure, he would bitch and moan at Drayce about it later, but Drayce knew he enjoyed the thrill of danger and adventure, too.

And Drayce love rubbing that in his face.

“Yeah, yeah,” Drayce said as he carefully placed the royal scroll into his red jacket and rested his elbow on his knees. “Do you think we should visit the Royal Council first, or stop by the guildhouse and drop off our belongings?”

Blayke folded his arms across his chest. “It’s your call. But personally I think we should visit the Council Hall first. Knowing you, you’ll get caught up inspecting every nook and cranny at your grandfather’s old guildhouse that you would forget to visit the Council at all.”

Drayce gave him a disgruntled pout. “Wow, rude.”

Blayke, however, just gave him a bland look. “Am I wrong?”

“I didn’t say you were wrong, only that you were rude,” Drayce quickly countered with a grin.

As per usual after their bantering, Blayke just rolled his eyes and ignored him. Well, appear as if he was ignoring him.

When Blayke heard that Drayce had virtually been summoned to Iorys by the Council, he agreed to accompany him. Something along the lines of Drayce needing a keeper because he would often get too caught up in his treasure hunting duties that he would forget to eat. Or something like that. But Drayce was fairly certain, almost a hundred precent certain, that Blayke was just using that as an excuse to cover up the fact that he enjoyed and dreamed of being an explorer as well.

Besides, Drayce couldn’t traverse the labyrinth alone. He was energetic and gung-ho for certain, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that trapesing along the dangerous paths of the ancient maze alone, without any prior knowledge at least, would be all but suicidal.

“But you’re right. Let’s head to the Council Hall first,” Drayce said. “Prince Ramus would be waiting, after all.”

With a nod of his head, Blayke unfolded his arms and turned in his seat to speak up to their driver, directing him to stop by the council building first. They then fell into silence as they turned their attention to the passing scenery outside of their windows.

The streets of Iorys were bustling with people of all shapes and sizes. Some dressed in normal attire, seemingly going about their normal lives, while others were in explorer clothing, weapons and shields at their sides. And there were quite a large number of would-be adventurers to be seen. The four races of Earthlain, Celestian, Brounii, and Therian mingling together effortlessly, all excited to venture into the labyrinth and hopefully place their guildname into the royal achieves as the one to have conquered the labyrinth.

Seeing everyone, seeing all the potential explorers increased Drayce’s own enthusiasm and energy. He couldn’t wait to establish his own guild and head into the labyrinth himself. He had heard so many tales and myths regarding the mysterious but naturally formed pathways, after all.

After a few minutes of openly admiring the beautiful scenery of Iorys, the driver of their horse-driven carriage announced to them that they have reached their destination.

Drayce was the first to step from the carriage with Blayke close behind him. He took a few moments to stretch his legs and to look around. The first thing he noticed, besides the marble white architecture and brick red roofing tiles of the Council Building was the fact that the building was perched atop of a rocky curvature overlooking the city below. And that the thick truck of Yggdrasil was so close, almost as if he could reach out and touch it.

He would also get vertigo if he tried to tilt his head back enough to look up at its tallest branches.

From where he stood, he could sense the magmatic energy of Yggdrasil. And how it seemed to reach beyond even the heavens.

It was truly beautiful.

“I’ve asked the driver to wait for us here,” Blayke’s voice pulled Drayce from his thoughts. “So let’s get going.”

Drayce nodded his head as he turned his gaze away from Yggdrasil and followed Blakye to the entrance of the Council Building. As they walked silently up the stone steps, they both noticed that groups of explorers were venturing in and out as well. Some appeared to be excitedly talking amongst themselves, while others appeared huffy and annoyed.

Their varying expressions were most likely in response to a particular mission. Drayce had heard on the grapevine that though the labyrinth was open to explorers, they weren’t willing to have anyone and everyone enter at will. A mission was created to prove themselves, not only as explorers but as citizens of Iorys.

Made perfect sense, but many were no doubt annoyed at the so-called restrictions.

As they made their way inside, Drayce had to pause once again to admire his surroundings.

The architecture was incredible. Exquisite. The sandstone pillars with gold trimmings, the chess-inspired flooring of precision made stones of high quality, the marble statues that stood at attention; time and loving dedication was clear to be seen.

The building had to be more than three-hundred years old. He could tell by the mosaic designs on the walls and ceiling. Yet it was in remarkably good shape. Well taken care of.

Hmm…since it was made over three-hundred years ago, there was the high possibility that there were hidden servant quarters and passageways. There would also be quite an extensive library. Perhaps even a hidden library.

In the years after the Legendary War, there was still a great amount of uncertainty. The architects of that time period were renowned for creating secret safe rooms and passageways. Preparing for the possibility of another devastating war.

Blayke hitting the back of his head with his hand pulled Drayce from his musings and he immediately turned to look at him with a disgruntled pout. Before he could mutter the words “You didn’t need to hit me” as he raked his hand through his short red hair, something he always did just after Blayke physically pulled him from his ponderings, the blue-haired fencer arched an annoyed eyebrow at him.

“We’re here to explore the labyrinth, not the council building,” he said, seemingly responding as if he had somehow read his mind. Or simply knew what he was thinking.

The fact that Drayce had been holding his chin as he stared at his surroundings and mumbling under his breath probably gave it away, too.

“Try to keep your head on straight when you’re speaking with Prince Ramus,” Blayke continued to scold and fuss.

Drayce rolled his eyes and reached into his jacket to pull out the scroll requesting his presence. “I promise not to make a fool of myself and get us kicked out. But get ready to run before he calls the guards.”

Entering into a long and brightly lit hallway that was lined with white statues of various classes and standings, they approached a set of stairs where other explorers had gathered. At the top of the small staircase was a figure in royal garbs flanked by two guards who watched everyone with caution.

A young man, seemingly no older than sixteen, with dark blue hair and bright blue eyes, smiled politely at Drayce and Blayke as the two approached him. “Hello,” he greeted simply. “Are you explorers wishing to enter the labyrinth?”

“Well, yes,” Drayce said as he held out his summoning letter to the young man. “But for good reason.”

The young man looked both puzzled but expectant as he took the scroll from him. As he unfurled his, his eyes widened and for a fraction of a second, an expression of excitement appeared in his eyes. He soon squashed that, however, with a look of royal politeness.

“Ah, yes, thank you for coming all this way,” he said as he handed the scroll back to Drayce before he bowed his head slightly as he introduced himself. “I am Ramus, Prince of Earthlain Royalty. Please, call me Ramus.”

“It’s nice to meet you, and to be here,” Drayce said in earnest. “My name is Drayce Pendragon,” he introduced himself and reached around to loop an arm around Blayke’s neck in order to drag him closer and to poke his cheek with his finger.

“And this is my partner in crime, Blayke.”

Blayke immediately frowned and squirmed in Drayce’s grip, tugging at his arm with both hands. “I’m here to keep you out of trouble,” he all but hissed.

The corner of Ramus’ mouth twitched for a moment, as if wanting to break out into an amused smile, but royal protocol seemed to prohibit it, so he simply nodded his head.

“Come, let us speak more in my office,” Ramus said as he turned to lead them.

Drayce released his hold on Blayke and silently the two followed the young prince. After a moment of walking along plush blue carpet and taking a few corners, they reached a set of doors with gold trimming of eccentric designs. With a single push of his hand, Ramus opened one of the doors and motioned for Drayce and Blayke to step inside before him.

Ramus’ office was as grand and beautiful as the architecture outside the room. A large desk made of red wood, polished to a bright sheen was situated in the middle of the room, surrounded by cabinets and bookcases, all filled to capacity.

True to his treasure hunting nature, Drayce felt the urge and need to look through the bookcases and drawers for anything hidden or interesting. He, however, shook it off as even though he meant no harm, the need born out of sheer intrigue rather than malicious nosiness, it was still seen as highly intrusive to dig through someone else’s belongings.

But, man, were his fingers twitching.

“Again, thank you for coming all this way,” Ramus said as he led Drayce and Blayke to his desk and to the two chairs that sat before it. “It is reassuring to have someone from the famous treasure hunting clan here in the city of Iorys.”

Drayce smiled a friendly smile as he sat down and rested his hands atop of his knees. “It’s an honour to be here,” he said, sounding like a true professional. Wouldn’t Grandmamma be proud?

Ramus moved to the other side of his desk, of which honestly looked too big for him, and sat down in a red-velvet, high back chair. That also looked too big for him. “Do you mind if I get straight to the point?” he unexpectedly asked.

“Not at all,” Drayce immediately responded. “In fact, I prefer it.”

“Thank you,” Ramus once again spoke politely before he folded his hands atop of his desk and a serious expression appeared on his face. “I’m sure you you’ve already concluded to the reason why I’ve summoned you here. And in short, yes, I wish for you to find information on the whereabouts on the lost treasures of the Legendary War.”

Ah, just finding information? Drayce was hoping to actually find the legendary treasures, too. Not so much for himself, but more so to keep them away and safe from others as, if legends and tales were any indication, these treasures were so important, so powerful that the Despot himself hid them in magically sealed vaults. These treasures were reputed to be powerful.

Myth or not, it would be best if they don’t fall in the wrong hands.

“Yeah, I know all about the Lost Treasures,” Drayce said as he leaned back into his chair. “Legend says that the Despot took the knowledge and information of whereabouts of his precious treasures with him to his grave. These treasures were so important to him that he created vaults to seal them away in. Vaults with three locks; a physical lock that requires a key, a magic lock that requires a spell to release, and a mental lock that requires the one trying to open the vault to solve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle.”

“Doesn’t legend also say that there are at least ten of them?” Blayke asked. “And that doesn’t count the myths and tales regarding the Despot’s most trusted war generals and commanders. They have their own legends about their ruthlessness before and during the war.”

Ramus gave them a sympathetic look as he nodded his head. “Yggdrasil itself has many myths and legends pertaining to it. Tales of before and after the Legendary War. In the search for information regarding the Lost Treasures, you are likely to encounter other fables of hidden treasures, too. Perhaps some tales that are meant to draw you away from seeking the Lost Treasures.”

Yggdrasil was over a thousand years old. Plenty of time for legends and myths, as well as beliefs and cults, to rise and fall.

So much to learn and find.

“Sounds awesome,” Drayce said as he smiled broadly. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Ramus smiled an honest smile but he soon frowned slightly. “But…” he unexpectedly paused for a moment to bite his lips together. “I can’t necessarily allow you free reign of the labyrinth. Well, not yet. There are certain protocols in place. Even for professionals.”

Drayce immediately knew what he was inferring. “Ah, you want to test my mantle with a mission, right? The same one that other guilds and explorers are having to complete?”

Ramus gave him a small, polite smile and almost hesitantly, as if afraid of offending him, nodded his head.

“No, that’s completely fair,” Drayce replied good-naturedly and smiled when he saw Ramus’ shoulder drop a fraction in relief. “I didn’t come here expecting special treatment or to step on anyone’s toes. Besides, this mission would be a good indicator to what to expect in the labyrinth. A win for the both of us in the end.”

“I’m honestly pleased by your understanding and enthusiasm,” Ramus said, his smile still courteously polite, and yet appeared more sincere nonetheless. “If you wish, I will give you the information and supplies needed to start on your first mission now. There is no need for you to rush, though, as you have only just arrived in Iorys. Please take your time. You will need to form a band of fellow explorers first, yes?”

Drayce nodded his head. “This is our first time visiting Iorys, so I’m sure there’s still a lot for us to see outside the labyrinth, too. But we will take the first mission now. At least register for it.”

“Hm,” Ramus simply said as he rummaged around in his desk before pulling out a parchment of paper and a form of some kind. “I suggest that you visit Egar, the guild leader, and register a guildname for yourselves.”

“Good place to start,” Drayce answered back idly.

“Would you like for me to suggest an inn where you can take up lodgings?” Ramus asked as he handed over the documents.

Drayce shook his head as he reached forward to retrieve the information on the first mission and pushed himself to his feet. “Nah, we’re good,” he said with a smile. “We have a place already planned.”

Ramus looked somewhat surprised, but that soon turned to intrigue. “But this is your first time setting foot upon Iorys’ soil, yes?”

“It is,” Drayce answered before a large grin slipped across his lips. “But I’m from a longline of treasure hunters, remember? I have connections. My grandfather owns an estate here in Iorys. We have all the accommodation we need. Don’t you worry too much about us.”

With a few polite farewells, Drayce and Blayke walked out of the Council Building and back to their awaiting horse and carriage.

Their next stop was his grandfather’s estate, where they were to meet up with Ashton, his father’s trusted understudy who had already migrated to Iorys a few months before. And after that? Well, looks like he would need to head out into Iorys and find some willing guild members to drag along on his adventures.

Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m honestly jealous of Drayce in this chapter :I His new guildhouse sounds awesome. I want it…Anyway, I’m going to try to keep these chapters under 4000 words because that’s plenty long enough, right? Though, don’t hold me to it. I’ve said that before and I’ve continued to ignore it, haha…

“Are we there yet?” Drayce asked for the umpteenth time.

Blayke lashed out a foot and got him right in the shin, causing Drayce to wince and glare at his friend that sat across from him in their carriage. All but immune to his glares and pouts of disgruntlement, Blayke levelled Drayce with a stern stare of his own.

"Aren’t treasure hunter renowned for being patient?” he asked. “I know you're excited to finally see your grandfather’s notorious guildhouse, but you're not a kid.”

"But, come on, you’re excited, too,” Drayce playfully accused, earning himself a light flush of red to Blayke’s cheeks. “We're finally going to see The Crescentia.”

The Crescentia was the name of his grandfather's guildhouse. Even in the treasure hunting community, his grandfather was a rather famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) treasure hunter. He and his merry band of misfits as he called them were fearless, able to find any treasure, regardless of myth or legend.

Drayce had never seen the guildhouse, let alone been inside it, but he had heard all about it from his grandfather and his father when he was a kid. Roux, his grandfather, would tell him and Blakye as they’ve been friends since they were ten, all sorts of stories of his adventures and treasure hunts. Though many of his tales seemed far-fetched to an outsider, he claimed they were all true. And Drayce believed him, of course.

Blayke did, too, though he often denied it. But that didn't stop Drayce from dragging Blayke around with him to go on 'secret' adventures around their village.

He had always wanted to visit Iorys and The Crescentia, to see the treasures hidden inside, to feel what it would be like to stand inside a bustling, busy guildhouse. He never imagined that he would actually own it one day.

But then his grandfather cheerfully gave him the deed. Finally, finally he could follow in his father and grandfather's footstep and become a renowned treasure hunter and archaeologist, too.

It was all he wanted to be since he was a kid.

He was grateful that Blayke's parents were really quite relaxed and supportive as well. When they found out that Drayce had finally inherited the famous Crescentia, they all but kicked Blayke out of the house, telling Drayce that Blayke was his responsibility now, and to have a 'super fun time kiddos~!'

God, he loved his family and village.

The carriage slowing down to a halt alerted Drayce to look out his window once more to see someone he immediately recognised. A man with green hair, silver eyes and dressed in the simple garbs of an Earthlain approached the carriage. He then reached out to open the door, to allow Drayce to hop out and to pull the older and taller man into a hug.

“Ashton, man, how have you been?” Drayce asked.

Ashton chuckled as he patted Drayce on the back before he pulled away to quickly look Drayce up and down, something he did to ‘subtly’ check for injuries. “Good to see you again,” he said with a friendly smile as he turned to offer Blayke a hand to help him out of the carriage. “You, too, Blayke.”

Blayke took Ashton’s hand as he hopped out of the carriage and instead of drawing him into a hug like Drayce had done, shook his hand instead. He wasn’t an overly affectionate person in public.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Blayke said in earnest before he dropped his hold on Ashton’s hand.

Taking a step back, Ashton propped his hand on his hip and arched his eyebrow at Blayke. “Not surprised to see you following Drayce here.”

“For everyone’s peace of mind, I assure you,” Blayke said simply, to which Ashton laughed all but whole-heartedly.

Drayce didn’t know what he meant by that, but he was fairly certain it was insulting him in some way.

“Whatever the reason, welcome to Iorys, boys,” Ashton said before he turned slightly and indicated toward the large three story manor with a wave of his hand. “And welcome to Guildhouse Crescentia.”

Both Drayce and Blayke immediately turned their full attentions onto the large building of white brick veneer and weathered roof slating. Tall walls of sandstone encircle the entire property. Though the front garden was in disarray from the lack of care, roses growing wildly, it was still easy to see how beautiful it once was. And could be again with tender care.

A long, stone paved pathway led to grand stone stair case, of which itself led to two large oak doors that were the front entrance. Above the majestic front doors, engraved with skilful care, was the name of the grand building.

Guildhouse Crescentia.

It really was his grandfather’s beloved guildhouse.

Drayce was pulled from his awe-inspired staring when Ashton clamped his hand upon his shoulder. Though reluctant to turn his gaze from the building before him, he did turn his head to look at his father’s protégé to find him smiling gently at him. As if he knew exactly what this moment, this building meant to him.

“Let’s head inside,” Ashton suggested.

Honestly, Drayce didn’t need any encouragement.

Leaving his luggage with Ashton, Drayce eagerly pushed his way through the tall iron gates and into the front yard of the estate. His boots crunched against the stone pathway and tapped loudly against the steps as he paused in front of the front doors. He took a moment to inspect and admire the beautiful engravings within the woods, a pattern similar to that of vines and flowers.

His fingers twitched so slightly in excitement as he placed his hands upon the door.

The front doors creaked slightly but not at all ominously as he pushed them open.

Light flooded in around him as he stepped over the threshold and into the foyer. The first thing his gaze settled upon was a majestic wooden staircase.

The long and grand staircase curved its way up to all three floors, of which could be seen from the foyer. Doors that led to a magnitude of rooms lined the landings to each floor. The second floor was that of bedrooms, if he remembered correctly. An important detail as he grandfather would tell him how he could easily gain his guildmates’ attention, or rudely awaken them from their sleep, by stopping at the bottom step of the staircase and simply shouting as loudly as he could.

His guildmates would in turn stagger out of their rooms and glare hatefully at him. Even if he had awoken them for good reason.

As he tilted his head back to look up he saw a beautiful skylight of coloured glass, the mosaic that of an angelic being with a flaming sword. The different colours filtered down to the foyer, bathing in in a magnitude of lights.

To the left of him was a seating room with a large fire place, the hearth of stone and set beautifully into the wall. White sheets were draped over the furniture in the room, keeping them thankfully clean. With them removed, he was certain that the amazing room would be a wonderful gathering place.

As he looked to his right, he could see an equally large dining room. An oval shaped dining table was situated in the very centre of the room and chairs, stacked upon each other, were in one corner. They, too, were all covered in white sheets.

Wordlessly walking into the room, Drayce could see that it was connected to a kitchen.

And much like the house itself, the kitchen was impressively large. It had to be, really. After all, it had to feed the hungry mouths of an entire guild. The counter tops appeared to be that of granite, an island bench in the middle with a wood stove taking up one wall.

Leaving the kitchen, Drayce just walked around and admired everything he saw. The architecture and interior embellishments gave the building a unique charm.

Though the place was a little dusty as it hadn’t been lived in for years and was filled to the brim with bookcases of books and cabinets of trinkets, but it was perfectly intact.

It was beautiful.

As he stood at the bottom step of the grand staircase, Drayce found his mind drifting back to his grandfather as he stared at the rolls of doors that could be seen. He could so imagine his eccentric grandfather hanging out with his merry band of misfits. Joking and messing around. Boisterous conversations. Loud chatter. Laughing.

He…

He would have liked to have experienced that along with his grandfather. And his father. To have seen what they had. To laugh along with them. Maybe he could, one day. Despite being busy with their own work and all.

But he also had his chance to build his own guild. To create his own memories. To allow this beautiful guildhouse to hear the voices of guildmates chatting together once more. To have the beds filled, the halls nosy.

To be alive again.

What better way to introduce his family to his new guildmates, right?

A hand settling on his shoulder pulled Drayce from his thoughts and he turned his head to find Blayke gazing at him. He wasn’t frowning his usual disgruntle frown that was perpetually on his lips. He was looking at him with that hint of understanding in his eyes.

“You ok?” he asked him softly.

Drayce nodded his head before he turned his gaze back to beautiful building that he could call his. Could call home. “I’ll have this old girl filled with laughter and happiness once more soon enough.”

Blayke simply squeezed his shoulder in response, silently agreeing with him, before dropping his hand to his side. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, only for his face to suddenly crease into an annoyed look. Then he sneezed.

“Your grandfather is such a hoarder,” he muttered. “This place is filled with god knows what.”

Drayce laughed. “Well, yeah. What treasure hunter isn’t a hoarder?” he playfully argued. “Oh! I wonder if grandpa left some puzzles for me to find. He was always doing that when I was a kid. I totally bet you fifty-en that there are a few treasure maps in here somewhere, too.”

“Before you dive straight into the treasure and myth hunting, concentrate on completing the first explorers’ mission first,” Ashton said as he grabbed the back of Drayce’s jacket and with little effort on his part dragged him into the large kitchen area.

“Yeah, yeah,” Drayce said as he perched himself upon a bar stool and leaned his elbow on the dusty counter.

Blayke chose to sit down on a stool next to him and rested his elbows on the bench and propped his chin in the palm of one of his hands. “What should our guild name be?” he asked. “We should probably figure it out before we visit the guildmaster.”

“Angelward,” Drayce immediately replied.

“That was quick,” Blayke commented as he glanced over in Drayce’s direction.

“When I was a kid, my dad and grandpa would tell me that when I start a guild I should call it Angelward,” Drayce explained with a shrug.

Blayke was silent for a moment with an expression of contemplation on his face. However, he soon nodded his head in acceptance. “Our next step then is to find guild mates willing to tag along with a treasure hunter.”

Yeah, that was the key. He needed trustworthy guild mates that weren’t obsessed with being the first or fastest explorer to conquer the labyrinth.

“How about it, Ash?” Drayce asked as he turned his attention to the green-haired Earthlain.

“I’m not one for exploration, I’m afraid,” Ashton said as he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. “How about I act as the guildhouse’s caretaker? I know my way around the formalities of Iorys pretty well, even though I’ve only been here two months myself.”

“In that case I’ll leave all the paperwork to you, too!” Drayce said with a smile.

Strangely, Blayke seemed relieved to hear that. “Yes, good idea.”

Oi, what did he mean by that? Ok, so, Drayce wasn’t good with paperwork. What treasure hunter was, right?

“However, before any of that,” Ashton spoke up again. “Can I suggest that you pick out your rooms and do a little bit of cleaning before settling in? This place is pretty dusty, after all.”

Yeah, that made sense. Not much fun, but made sense. Suppose he had better be the responsible adult that he was and do some tedious domestic chores.

Ugh.

“Will you be moving in as well, Ash?” Drayce asked, remembering that he had been renting a small apartment in the heart of the city for the sake of his work of researching myths and tales regarding the times before the Legendary War.

A fruitless task, according to many of scholars, as so much documentations and tomes where stolen or destroyed in the carnage of said war. It was unlikely that anything of time before was spared. If but miracle some survived, they were more than likely unreadable due to their age.

“Well, since I’ll be acting as house-keep, it makes sense for me to move in,” Ashton replied before he shot Drayce a slight grin. “Truth be told, I already snagged myself a room. Hope you don’t mind.”

Honestly, that wouldn’t surprise him. Ashton was his father’s understudy, after all!

“Nah, that’s fine,” Drayce replied anyway. “As long as I get grandpa’s old room. He wanted me to have it, anyway. Blayke, the rest of the bedrooms are yours to choose from.”

Blayke nodded his head before a thoughtful expression appeared on his face and he furrowed his brow slightly. “How many bedrooms does this place have?”

That was a good question.

“There’s about twelve bedrooms I think,” Ashton answered. “But this is a guildhouse, after all, so it can bed about thirty people.”

Thirty people?! Grandpa had always told him that he had a large band of explorers with him during his exploration, but could he have had thirty guildmates at some point?

It did lead to Drayce wonder about how many people he would meet during his exploration that would agree to be part of his guild.

Never mind that now. It was late in the afternoon now. Best to try to get their chosen bedrooms in working order and somewhat liveable for themselves to sleep in for the night. Tomorrow he could think about visiting the guildmaster and registering a guild. Tomorrow he could think about looking for new guildmates to help him with his royal mission. And tomorrow he could officially begin his life as a professional treasure hunter and archaeologist.

His grandmamma would be so proud of him.

“Right, let’s start getting to work, boys,” Drayce said as he moved toward the front entrance where his bag of belongings were placed.

He was thankfully energetic at the moment, so hopefully the cleaning chore of his room won’t take too long. But he was getting hungry. They had better visit the market to get some food in this place. He couldn’t entice explorers to join his guild on an empty stomach.

… … … … …

His grandfather’s bedroom was located at the back of the second floor. And as Drayce stepped inside, his mouth dropped open by the sheer size of it. A four post bed rested against one wall and facing a balcony that was framed with thick red curtains. On the other side of the room where two smaller rooms, a walk in closet that was surprisingly empty and a small bathroom with sink, shower, and mirror.

Honestly, the room was larger than that of some apartments, he was sure.

Drayce dropped his bad by the door as he walked around the room, once more openly admiring everything. His gaze was soon drawn to a small bedside set of draws. Or more specifically, to a silver picture frame that sat atop of it.

He quickly cross the room and picked up the picture frame. He didn’t immediately recognise the couple in the photo, but he did recognise the man’s blue eyes as they stared back at him. They were the same as his. Also the plaque at the bottom held his grandparents’ names and the date of their wedding anniversary. It was a photo from their younger days. When they were explorers together.

He couldn’t help but smile, though it was still tinged with sadness.

They looked so happy. So much in love. So happy together.

Truly, it only enforced the idea that his grandfather had become lost in his grief and threw himself in an adventure. He hoped to see him again one day. But…he would understand if he didn’t. Grief effected people in different.

He carefully cleaned the photo, dusting away the light layer of dust before he placed it back onto the bedside table. He wondered if he, too, would find someone he loved as much as his grandfather loved his grandmamma.

Drayce laughed to himself and turned away from the bedside table. No time to think of such nonsense. He had more cleaning to do.

As Drayce focused his attention upon cleaning the room enough for him to at least sleep in for the night, his mind wandered toward his father. When he was growing up, he was raised by his father and grandparents. He didn’t know or remember his mother. No one spoke about her, even if he asked. They simply told him that she was gone.

And with her, something very important.

He had tried, in secret as he could see that asking about his mother caused his family some distress, to find out some information on his own. He was raised to be a treasure hunter and archaeologist, after all. He was born to search for information and find the hidden. But in regards to his mother, he found nothing. Absolutely nothing. No photos. No letters. Not a single mentioning of her.

It was like…she never really existed.

And yet, deep in his heart, he knew she did. And he unexpectedly felt a sense of…anger toward her. He didn’t understand why. It wasn’t from his family’s influence; they never spoke of her, after all. There was just something in the back of his mind and in his chest that made him feel anger toward his mother.

Drayce sighed and shook his head to clear it. He didn’t want to waste his time on that. Not now. He had other important things to mull over in his mind.

Ok, focus. Clean his room, have some dinner, get settled in and get ready for tomorrow.

He, after all, had a lot of work to do tomorrow.

Before any of that, though, he really needed to get something to eat.

“Hey, Ash!” Drayce called out as he stepped out of his newly acquired bedroom. “Any food in this place? I’m starving!”


	3. Chapter 3

After a restful night’s sleep, Drayce awoke early in the morning and made his way down stairs. Unsurprisingly, Ashton was already up and had partially made breakfast. Though Ashton was indeed a scholar, he was also quite the caretaker. He honestly had to be as his father’s trusted understudy. Treasure hunters and archaeologists were rather notorious for getting caught up in their work.

Opting for a couple of moon apples to munch on, sat at one end of the dining table and looked over the mission registration form Ramus had issued to him yesterday. The premise of the first mission seemed easy enough; draw a map and grab a soil and sapling sample. Oh, and come back in one piece. An important one.

Though it sounded easy, Drayce knew better than to think it would be a walk in the park. The mission, after all, was pivotal in ensuring that only those who can handle what the labyrinth might offer continue on to become explorers. The council wanted to ensure that rookie adventures knew what they were getting themselves in. And, hopefully, lower the potential deathrate.

Those who fail were better off looking for another career.

Although, Drayce was fairly certain that many would-be explorers wouldn’t give up that easily. He remembered Grampa telling him tales of ‘rouge’ explorers, as he called them. Loners who wouldn’t abide by the rules of anyone. Sometimes not even their own rules.

The guards were in place to guarantee that only registered explorers entered the labyrinth. But they couldn’t be everywhere at once and with the labyrinth so large, it was impossible to know all possible entrances or escape routes. And there was nothing stopping the dumbasses from literally scaling the thing to get inside.

In any case, Drayce was determined to do the right thing; complete the first mission and be registered as an explorer.

He could potentially do whatever he wanted after that.

And it was going to be so much fun.

The sound of a chair scrapping against the floor pulled Drayce from his thoughts and he lifted his head up in time to see Blayke take a seat on the other side of the table directly opposite him.

“So what’s on the agenda today?” he asked as he took a bite out of a simple roll of bread with jam on top.

“Hm. Not completely sure, to be honest,” Drayce replied as he dropped the papers he was reading onto the table in front of him. “I was thinking of visiting the guildmaster and registering, but wouldn’t it be better to find a few members first? At least enough to form a party of five?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Blayke muttered around his breakfast as he cast an idle gaze upon the paper work. “The hard part will be finding the right kind of explorer to join our guild. We can’t just have anyone. You have a royal mission, after all.”

Drayce tapped his chin in thought for a moment. “Very true.”

Ashton dropped himself down onto a chair at the end of the table closest to where Drayce and Blayke were sat. “You might want to keep that hidden initially.”

Drayce arched an eyebrow at the green-haired man. “Are you worried about opportunistic explorers thinking they’ll be on easy street?” he questioned.

“Exactly,” Ashton replied before he launched into a quick explanation. “With you being hired by Prince Ramus himself, others might use you to get to him. Or try to use you to get to the Lost Treasures first.”

That made sense. Finding treasure was easier if you had someone else doing all the hard works instead. Surely, though, other explorers would have their full attention on keeping themselves alive, right? He didn’t want to think badly of other people.

Still, it was best to be safe than sorry.

“A lot of these explorers probably aren’t aware of the legends of the Lost Treasures, but you have a point nonetheless,” Drayce conceded.

Blayke finished off his breakfast before he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back into his chair. “That will make finding the right kind of guildmate harder,” he muttered. “Especially since we’re new to the city as well.”

Well, a challenge was only a challenge if you saw it as one, right? That was what Grandpa used to say a lot.

“Don’t forget your connections,” Ashton suddenly piped up with a knowing smile on his lips. “I know a fellow scholar that might be useful to you. He’s an expert in reading ancient texts. I can introduce you to him, if you like. I’m sure he would be greatly beneficial for when you start looking for the Lost Treasures.”

“Sounds perfect,” Drayce said, perking up a little inside at the thought of meeting and perhaps befriending someone who was as interested in myths and legends as he was.

“He also has a brother who might be able to join your guild,” Ashton added, his smile not wavering for a second. “A warlock, I believe. Quite adapt at Mana Detect.”

“Sounds even better!”

Ashton laughed heartedly for a moment. “I’ll arrange a meeting for you guys later,” he said. “But first, you should visit the market place. A few vendors there are quite knowledgeable in the materials found in the first and second floors. And while you’re there, you can buy some food to stock up the kitchen. Can’t entice potential guildmembers to join your guild with an empty kitchen.”

And one couldn’t go exploring or adventuring on an empty stomach, either.

“Fair enough,” Drayce said as he placed his hands atop of the table and pushed himself to his feet.

Across from him, Blayke did the same. “No coffee, though.”

“Why no coffee?” Drayce asked as he arched a questioning eyebrow.

Blayke levelled him with a very stern and somehow shrewd look. “Because when you start your real research, you tend to forget to sleep and drink gallons of coffee to help with your ‘productiveness’.”

Drayce was, naturally, rather indignant. “What? Dude, I so do not do that.”

Blayke’s expression grew agitated as he stepped away from the table and proceeded to head back upstairs to get ready. “That’s an outright lie. I can’t believe you said with a straight face.”

Drayce followed him, he, too, intent on getting ready. “Ok, rude.”

But as per usual, Blayke ignored him and the two of them got themselves ready for a day out grocery shopping.

… … … … …

Locating and travelling to Iorys’ market district wasn’t at all a difficult process. It was thankfully rather close to the guildhouse, allowing for quick and easy shopping whenever they needed it.

Despite it being soon after breakfast, the district was bustling with open vendors and busy shoppers. Of both locals and explorers, it seemed. A few stores appeared to be that of well established businesses, including blacksmithing facilities, while others were more akin to those of travelling vendors who were free to come and go as they pleased.

The store that caught Drayce’s eye was that of a seemingly newly erected building. An open store front with a blacksmith furnace located at the back. And the apparent owner of the store was a young brounii with quite an eccentric outfit of fine firs, feathers, and jewellery. It was actually the large green emerald he had pinned to his chest that caught Drayce’s eye. Obviously the man knew his jewels.

“Welcome!” the brounii cheerfully greeted as Drayce approached, with Blayke trailing behind him and eyeing their surrounding cautiously. “Ah, you’re a pair of new faces. Come to explore the labyrinth?”

“Planning on it,” Drayce answered honestly. “We just arrived yesterday, though. Still plotting our first trek.” He cocked his hip out to the side and planted his hand on it. “Any advice for us rookies?”

“Only to keep a close eye on your surroundings,” the shopkeeper answered swiftly as a friendly smile spread across his lips. “You never know what hidden treasure you might find!”

“Another one?” Blayke was heard muttering behind Drayce, but he was promptly ignored.

“Ah, a treasure man, huh?” Drayce asked as he felt his own grin grow.

“Well, of course. What Brounii isn’t?” The brounii then let out a peculiar but rather adorable laugh, one that seemed to come easy from him. “Anyway, the name’s Syrik.”

The brounii now known as Syrik threw out his hand for Drayce to shake, to which Drayce promptly did. He was in turn about to introduce himself and Blayke, but was interrupted by Syrik continuing to speak.

“To be honest with you, I only arrived to Iorys a few weeks ago myself,” Syrik explained as he released his surprisingly tight grip on Drayce’s hand. “When I heard that they were re-opening the labyrinth to explorers, I nearly fell over myself in my haste to get here. Being a traveling merchant is fine and all, but it makes perfect sense to set up a store here. The labyrinth just has to be filled with mysterious treasures and rare materials, after all.”

Drayce nodded his head in complete understanding. “Ah, a man after my own heart. I come from a long line of treasure hunters and archaeologists. So I know exactly what you mean.”

Syrik eyes widened before they all but sparkled with excitement. “Then that means…you’ll be able to find rare and high quality materials!” he said as he laughed good-naturedly.

Drayce couldn’t help but laugh as well before an idea struck him. “Tell you what; I’m not greedy. Should I find anything worthwhile, I’ll sell it to you.” He then offered his hand out to Syrik in hopes of sealing the deal. “Well?”

“You’ve got yourself a deal!” Syrik eagerly responded as he shook Drayce’s hand rather enthusiastically. “Looking forward to working with you.”

“You, too,” Drayce replied with a grin before he straightened himself up and tapped his finger against his temple. “I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Drayce and this is my partner in crime, Blayke.”

Blayke barely had enough time to utter out a greeting in return before Syrik spoke up. “Nice to meet ya both!”

Syrik was certainly an energetic and enthusiastic shopkeeper, wasn’t he? Drayce was more than certain that they were going to get along just fine.

He was about to ask Syrik what kind of ‘treasures’ he was to expect on the first floor when Blayke grasped him by the shoulder and gave him a little push.

“Come on,” he said with a slight scowl on his face. “The kitchen won’t stock itself.”

“Right right,” Drayce answered passively, mildly wondering why Blayke looked more agitated than usual. “Catch you later, Syrik.”

“Come visit again soon~!”

… … … … …

With their arms filled with shopping bags of their much needed food supplies, Drayce and Blayke made their way back to the Crescentia. They seemed to have gotten everything on the shopping list Ashton gave them and hopefully by the time they return, a meeting with that fellow scholar Ashton had mentioned had been arranged. Or at least in the works.

“I quite like the market place,” Drayce commented cheerfully as they turned a corner and took to a slight incline that led directly to their guildhouse.

“That honestly doesn’t surprise me,” Blayke commented. “That place is filled with stores offering novelty trinkets and shit.” He then unexpectedly nudged Drayce with his shoulder. “And, dude, stop telling everyone you’re a treasure hunter.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Drayce asked as he turned to look at the fencer. “No one knows why I’m here or what treasure I’m looking for. Besides, it’ll be nice to be able to geek out with someone else who likes treasures, too.”

Blayke looked both agitated and defiant for a moment before he sighed and shook his head as a genuine expression of worry appeared on his face. “Look, I’m just worried, ok?” he admitted. “What Ashton said this morning is true. Whether they know why you’re here or not, you might be targeted by other guilds looking to get rich quick.”

Ah, so that was the reason for the scowl. He was taking Ashton’s warning to heart.

“Fine, fine,” Drayce said in a surrendering manner, not wanting to argue with Blayke’s obvious concern for him. “I’ll take your concern and worry into consideration and be more careful, ok?”

Blayke seemed satisfied by that for the time being and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

But as they drew closer to the Crescentia, Drayce noticed a young Therian on the other side of the street. They appear to be that of a male, with hair that appeared to be that of both light purple and light blue, and was wearing pastel clothing that was similar to that of rovers. His ears were that of canine variety and were the same pastel yet vibrant colours as his hair. The white wolf with a stunning blue design upon its forehead also gave the indication that he was indeed classed as a rover.

Aside from his wolf companion and a small bag on his back, he appeared to be alone.

Drayce didn’t realise that he had stopped walking and was all but staring at the kid until Blayke kicked him lightly in the shins. “What are you staring at?” he asked.

“That kid,” Drayce said, not taking his eyes off of the pastel rover. “He doesn’t look right.”

“What do you mean?”

Drayce carefully studied the kid’s movements, his brow furrowing slightly. “He’s shuffling his feet and his arms aren’t swinging by his sides. His head is also down as if he can only concentrate on the path in front of him. His wolf companion is right at his heel, his tail down and slightly between his legs.”

“…And?”

“I think he’s sick,” Drayce said simply as stepped off of the curb and made his way to the other side of the street where the younger rover was.

“Wait a second,” Blayke muttered as he moved to follow him.

Balancing his shopping bags into one arm, Drayce approached the rover rather cautiously. “Ah, hey there?” he called out to him, surprised when the kid immediately stopped walking but failed to turn around and look at him.

But his wolf companion did. Blue eyes turned to look at him before quickly glancing back at the silent Therian. This continued a couple more times before a soft whimper was heard.

Drayce felt concerned and he lifted his hand hesitantly. “You-?”

Before Drayce could ask if he was alright and if he needed any help, the kid suddenly fell to his knees before slumping forward haphazardly on the ground.

“Shit!” Instinctively, Drayce dropped his shopping bag and tried to reach out to him. But he had to pull himself back when the wolf immediately lunged forward and stood over the young rover’s unmoving form.

An understandable reaction, but Drayce couldn’t see if the kid was breathing with a protective wolf growling at him.

“Easy now,” Drayce said as he crouched down to be at the same eye level before he reached out a hand toward the wolf. He made no attempt to pat him or touch him in anyway. He just lifted his hand, hoping that the wolf would find him non-threatening and perhaps by sniffing his hand, allow him to check on the kid. “I’m not a bad guy, promise.”

What felt like a solid five minutes of tension, but was probably a minute max, the wolf slowly stretched out his neck and sniffed at his hand. Drayce made sure to stay perfect still while the wolf took in his scent.

And when the wolf nudged at his hand with his nose, Drayce felt relieved.

“See?” Drayce said as he gently patted the side of the wolf’s muzzle. “I won’t hurt either of you.”

The wolf seemed to understand him as he uttered a low whimper and removed his protective stance on his master.

Quickly, but carefully, Drayce rolled the rover onto his side and carefully slipped an arm under his shoulders to pull him into a sitting position. The kid was thankfully breathing, but it was laboured, coming out in short puffs and near-silent whimpers. His eyes were clamped shut and his face was creased into a look of pain. But most noticeable was how red his face was and how sweaty he appeared to be.

“What’s wrong with him?” Blayke asked as he cautiously crept closer, eyeing off the wolf as he did so.

“A fever,” Drayce said before he slipped an arm under the rover’s knees and all too easily picked him up. “Let’s take him back to the guildhouse. Sorry, but could you get the groceries?”

“Yeah, sure,” Blayke said as he shifted his bags to one arm.

But as he reached out to grab the bags that Drayce had dropped, the white wolf unexpectedly beat him to it. The wolf snared a couple of the bags with his mouth and picked them up easily. It was either something he was trained to do, or it was the wolf’s way of wanting to help somehow.

Drayce liked to think it was the latter.

“Let’s go, Doggo,” Drayce said.

They had been thankfully close to the Crescentia before the incident. They were also lucky that the front door had been left slightly ajar in preparation of them returning with their arms full of food and other groceries.

Keeping a firm grip on the young Therian in his arms, Drayce pushed open one of the doors with his shoulder and hastily stepped inside. “Hey, Ashton!”

“Welcome back,” Ashton responded before he stepped out of the dining room with a broom on his shoulder. “I’ve just finished the kitchen and-”

He stopped mid-sentence when his gaze fell upon the rover resting fitfully in Drayce’s arms. A look of confusion as well as concern appeared on his face. “What in the world?” he asked as he ventured closer.

“He fainted on the sidewalk in front of us,” Drayce explained quickly. “I couldn’t leave him.”

Ashton looked at the kid before shifting his gaze up at Drayce. His eyebrow was arched, yet he didn’t seem all that surprised. “Let’s see,” he said instead as he returned his attention back to the unknown rover. “He’s unconscious. He’s also burning up. Place him in the seating room while I’ll get a bed ready.”

“Sure,” Drayce said as he turned on his heel and quickly made his way to the large seating room.

The white sheets that protected the furniture from dust had thankfully been removed, so Drayce carefully placed the still unconscious rover onto a couch and laid his head upon a pillow. The pillow was a light blue, and alarmingly, the flush to the kid’s cheeks stood out harshly.

“He doesn’t look good,” Blayke said as he, along with the white wolf, entered the room. He was carrying a bowl of water and a cloth, thankfully.

And as Blayke placed down the bowl of water onto a nearby coffee table, the wolf companion immediately sat by the couch in front of his master, his nose gently nudging at his hand. He then uttered a small whimper, one akin to that of concern and confusion as he gently licked at the kid’s hand.

The wolf was a loyal companion and could heal the physical wounds of others through licking them. But unfortunately, the kid was ill with a fever. Either from infection or a virus. He needed medicine. And rather quickly, too.

“I think he needs a botanist,” Blayke said after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Drayce said as he lifted his gaze from the kid and turned in the direction of the front door. “I better go find one.”

Blayke was naturally going to protest, to ask him where he was thinking of finding a botanist when Ashton entered the room.

“I might know someone,” he unexpectedly said with a small but knowing grin. “He’s called a Botanical Genius, but a little picky when it comes to guilds or explorers he likes. He gets invitations to join a guild daily, but turned them all down.”

All very interesting, but that didn’t matter at the moment.

“Right now I’m not looking for a guildmate,” Drayce said. “This kid needs help. Surely he would agree to help him, right?”

Ashton continued to smile, as if he had expected such a response. “Here,” he said as he handed Drayce a slip of paper with an address on it. “This is where you can find him. But, whatever you do, do not mention his height. Or lack thereof.” 

Quickly grabbing the address, Drayce arched a questioning eyebrow but decided not to ask. “I’ll be back soon, ok? Watch the kid for me.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fortunately had this done a few days ago but wanted to stay on schedule~ Also the last couple of days were spend nursing migraines and trying to keep the Christmas tree unscathed and upright. But with two kittens, well, I’m sure you know how well that went. Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter and be sure to check out the characters post to see what our new characters look like. And do let me know whether you like it or not~

Drayce made his way quickly through the streets, paying attention only at the street signs and markers. Ashton said that the healer he knew of lived relatively close by, so he was rushing to meet with him and ask for his help.

He rounded a blind corner quickly, paying no mind to whether or not someone else was close by and taking the same path as he was. And, just his luck, he found himself colliding with someone. Someone taller than he was by at least half a foot. They also seemed to be quite muscular too.

Uttering a low 'oof' from the shock more than anything, Drayce stumbled back a step only to feel someone latch onto his upper arms and holding him in place. Startled, Drayce blinked as he found himself staring into an obviously male chest, a chest that was completely free from any type of clothing. Muscular, taut, the skin was a dark mocha brown and seemed to have several jagged scars.

Tilting his head back, Drayce found himself looking into a pair of narrow blue eyes. The blue of the person's eyes were quite striking; a vivid blue, like that of crystal clear water.

The man appeared to be a Celestian. His elven like ears, however, were scarred, as if torn and was forced to heal quickly, but roughly.

When the man blinked slowly at him did Drayce realise that he was standing chest to chest with him, the man holding Drayce by his arms, essentially holding him in place. Against his chest.

Naturally, Drayce uttered a sound of surprise before placing his hands on the man's chest and launching himself back away from.

"Whoa, hey, totally sorry about that!" Drayce exclaimed as he stumbled back. "I was in a hurry and wasn't looking where I was going."

The tall Celestian said nothing, didn't seemed to make an attempt to reply. He just stared back at him. Though his eyes were narrowed, he had this rather curious expression on his face. As if something was piquing his interest.

"You should not be in such a hurry," he unexpectedly said, his voice quite deep and surprisingly lethargic. "You could hurt yourself."

Drayce gave a nervous laugh. "Y-yeah, I normally don't rush like this," he said. "But I need to find a certain address as it's really important. Are you, ah, a local? I'm new, you see. Arrived yesterday and stuff."

"What address are you looking for?" the man asked, thankfully interrupting Drayce's surprisingly nervous ramblings.

Drayce snapped his mouth shut as he lifted up his hand that had the now rumpled piece of paper with the address on it. He handed it the other man, who took it from him wordlessly.

As the man unfolded the paper to read it, his eyes unexpectedly narrowed further and there appeared to be a flicker of realisation on his face that lasted only a minute. He wordlessly folded the paper and handed it back to him.

"Why?" he suddenly asked.

Drayce was honestly caught by surprised by the man's short and abrupt question. At first he was a little irritated by the man's abruptness, but he remembered that brief look of realisation and wondered if, perhaps, the man knew of the Botanical Genius that Drayce was looking for.

So he decided to simply tell the truth. He didn't want to be forced to make something up and lie. One, he wasn't good at it. Two, he didn't want to be caught out in a lie.

"There's someone very ill back at my guildhouse," Drayce explained. "He has a fever and is unconscious. I only moved here yesterday, so don't know anyone really. Someone suggested I visit the Botanical Genius as he might be able to help."

The man seemed to listen intently, though his eyes never straying from Drayce's. It was a little unnerving, to be honest. But Drayce couldn't look away. He didn't want to appear as if he was being untruthful, which he wasn't. And he didn't want to appear intimidated, which he kinda was.

There was also something...strangely familiar about his eyes. Something that was drawing him into them. That...was also a little unnerving.

"A friend?" the man asked abruptly, of which seemed to be his usual speaking manner.

Drayce shook his head. "A kid, he passed out in front of my guildhouse. I couldn't just leave him there."

The man arched an eyebrow at him, somewhat sceptical. But Drayce was being completely honest. And he was also starting to become annoyed.

"Look, I'm telling the truth," Drayce said as he frowned. "Come back to my guildhouse if you want. I don't care. I need to find a healer for this kid. And I need to find one soon, ok? Since you seem to known this Botanical Genius, either show me the way or tell me. Or don't, I'll just find him on my own."

Once again the man just stared at him. This time, however, his gaze was that of contemplation. And interest.

"He is close by," he said as he suddenly turned on his heel and started to walk away. "This way. I will show you."

Relief flooded Drayce as he followed the Celestian. "Thank you," he said in earnest.

The man simply glanced over his shoulder and nodded his head at him, seemingly giving him a sign of acceptance. He then turned his attention forward to the path in front of him.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the man leading Drayce through the crowded streets seemed either oblivious to the bustling people around him, or simply did not care for their presence. Perhaps a bit of both.

After a while they reached a small white building. A small shop it seemed. Or maybe a clinic of sorts. There was a small group of people outside and they appeared to be dressed in the garbs of explorers. And they were talking amongst themselves.

As the man daftly led Drayce past them and up the small flight of stairs of the front poach, he overheard a few sentences from the group. Eavesdropping was a habit of his. An unfortunate one, according to others, but as a treasure hunter, it was sometimes the only way to get any information.

And from the sounds of things, they were complaining. About some 'shorty' being a right jerk and he is the one who should be grateful that a guild was allowing a 'useless' healer into their party.

Honestly, if the short conversation he heard was any indication, the short healer was indeed wise to turn down a bunch of ungrateful little snots.

"Ignore those fools," the man suddenly said to Drayce as he opened the door at top of the porch. "They wanted a healer, not a teammate."

"Yeah, I overheard," Drayce said as he followed the bronzed skinned celestian inside.

He stopped awkwardly at the foyer, though, as the man continued inside. Though he needed to meet with this healer quickly and though it was his treasure hunter nature to simply launch himself into any new environment and look around, he felt it would be at least polite not to do that.

This healer was the only healer that he was aware of.

The man that had led him to the address stopped and turned to look at him, probably puzzled that Drayce hadn't moved further than that of the foyer.

Drayce scratched the back of his neck in a nervous manner. "I, ah, do need to speak with him, but this is his place, right? Would be rude to waltz in without invitation, yeah?"

The man tilted his head to the side to, yet again, stare at him curiously. He, however, soon straightened and nodded his head. "It is fine," he said. "Follow me."

Ah, well, that appeared to be an invitation to enter.

Silently, and honestly quite awkwardly, Drayce followed the still unnamed man as he stepped through the closest doorway from the foyer. As Drayce moved closer he could hear another voice. Rather high-pitched and squeaky. They also sounded agitated.

Very agitated.

Must be the Botanical Genius he needed to find.

Stepping into the room and choosing to stay behind the Celestian for now, Drayce's gaze fell upon a Brounii, male in appearance, with pinkish-red hair, light-coloured skin, and green eyes. He was also pacing back and forth as he waved his arms irritably at his sides.

"Standing in a hole indeed! Bitch, try me! I'll put that bitch in a hole!"

Drayce tilted his head to the side as he watched him continue to pace and rant. He was a Brounii, so he was naturally short. Something that couldn't be helped. Could anyone really be that rude to mention it to him? Sheesh, some people.

"Fiorello," the Celestian called out.

The Brounii that must be named Fiorello stopped mid-pace and turned to face the one who called his name. His annoyed expression stayed on his chubby face as he planted his hands on his hips and frown at him.

"Zohar, where have you been?" he asked. "You will not believe the stupidity of these new explorers. A fencer asked me if I was standing in a hole. Can you believe that? Have these explorers no manners?"

"Rude indeed," the man now known as Zohar replied in a deadpan voice. He then stepped to the side to allow for Drayce to be fully seen.

Fiorello immediately locked eyes with him and his annoyed expression morphed into that of genuine confusion and surprise. "Eh? Did you actually bring a friend home?" he asked.

Home? Oh, so Zohar lived here, too? Now wonder he was so protective to start with.

"He requires the aid of a healer," Zohar answered, to which was met with an incredulous look from Fiorello.

"Really now?" Fiorello mumbled before he turned his attention back to Drayce. He looked cautious, yet there was a sense of intrigue in his eyes. "Let me guess; new explorers looking to conquer the labyrinth and be the strongest guild in Iorys."

Drayce shook his head and took a second to muse about how he should request assistance from Fiorello. Ashton had said that he received invites to join other guilds daily. That would mean that he was quite the skilled healer. But that also meant that other guild saw him as someone to ensure the success of their exploration.

From the suspicion in his eyes and the protectiveness Zohar had shown previously, Drayce would surmise that the guilds who had approached him weren't interested in him as a living being, but as a means to an end. As a healer. Someone to patch them up if needed, to give them free healing, and to stay out of their way as they continue their goal of being number one.

That was...really quite sad.

"Ah, no, you see," Drayce started to explain. "I'm not looking for a guildmate. I mean, I am and I am looking to enter the labyrinth, but not right now."

Fiorello arched an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest, so Drayce decided to screw it and be totally honest with him. As plainly as possible. Though the Brounii was reputed to be a skilled healer, the kid back at the guildhouse had to be getting sicker by the minute. If he was unwilling to help, for whatever reason, Drayce needed to know quickly so he could go in search for someone who was willing to help.

"I'll be honest with you; yes, I am looking to form a guild. And yes, I am looking for guild mates. But as of right now, that's been put on hold. At my guildhouse is a young rover who is very ill with a fever. He's unconscious but clearly suffering. I don't know his name or who he is, but I won't stand by and watch as he suffers. Now, all I'm asking of you right now is to come to my guildhouse and help him. I promise that there is no ulterior motive here. And yes, I will pay you. That doesn't matter. Just...will you see him now?"

After he was done, Drayce felt slightly breathless because, wow, he said a lot in a short amount of time.

The silence that followed, though, was a little uncomfortable. Especially with the way Fiorello was looking at him with a somewhat surprised look on his face. And though Drayce couldn't see him fully, he felt that Zohar was also staring at him.

Talk about being the centre of attention.

Unexpectedly, an impish and cheeky smile appeared on Fiorello's lips and his eyes held a mischievously curious glint.

"Ok!" Fiorello said cheerfully as he spun on his heel and headed toward another door in the far corner of the room. "Let me grab my bag and books."

To say that Drayce was relieved would be an understatement. "Thank you," he said in earnest.

He could finally get that kid some help. And maybe scold him later for walking around with such a fever in the first place.

Before that, though.

Drayce turned his attention back to Zohar, only to realise that the other man was already looking in his direction. "Ah, thank you for leading me here. It would probably have taken me a while to find the place."

"Not at all," Zohar replied rather quickly. "I am relieved."

Relieved? About what?

Before Drayce could wonder if he should ask him what he meant or not, Zohar simply picked up a coffin that was leaning against the wall by the door, called upon a light green spiritual light to pull the two pieces apart and floated them on either side of him. Without another word, or even a glance back, he left through the door and seemed to exit through the front doors as well, opening it before allowing it to slip silently shut behind him.

Ah…ok?

Jeez, that man was quiet, wasn’t he? He was obviously a necromancer, so that was a given?

It didn't matter. Each to their own.

After a few seconds of standing awkwardly in the room by himself, Fiorello thankfully reappeared with his bag and medical book with him. He glanced around, no doubt looking for Zohar, only to roll his eyes when he realised he wasn't around.

"Zohar just took off again, didn't he?" he asked. "Honestly, that boy."

"He does that often?" Drayce asked.

"All the time," Fiorello replied. "Such a loner. Prefers to do things on his own. Never mind that now. You have my attention, best show me to your guildhouse pronto."

"Yes, thanks once again," Drayce said as the two of them made their way to the front door.

... ... ... ... ...

Drayce had remembered the way back to the Crescentia. Only natural, really. He always had uncanny navigation skills. He was still relieved that he had them. One, it would be embarrassing after going on a mini-rant about needing Fiorello's help only to lead him around lost. And two, a treasure hunter and explorer needed reasonable navigation skills. If he somehow got lost in town, he would definitely have gotten lost in the labyrinth. Something he and his future guildmates didn't need.

Thank goodness his dad and grandfather taught him well.

As Drayce invited Fiorello into the guildhouse, the botanist looked somewhat surprised. Probably from the sheer size of the place. Not even Drayce himself hadn't even been to the third floor yet.

Ashton had been waiting for them, and he seemed somewhat surprised himself. And yet, he smiled knowingly and greeted Fiorello politely.

After a short meet and greet, Ashton led them both upstairs to a bed located closest to the stairs. Blayke was waiting outside, keeping one eye out at the stairs, the other in on the kid.

Upon being shown the room, Fiorello wasted no time in making his way over to the dog-eared rover. After a quick once over, the botanist made a light tisking sound as he opened his bag and pulled out a few bottles, along with a mortar set to crush more herbs if needed.

"You had the right to be worried," Fiorello said. "Despite the fever, I can see that he's malnourished and dehydrated. You said you found him?"

Drayce lingered near the doorway so not to get in the way. "Yeah, he collapsed outside on the sidewalk. I obviously couldn't leave him there so brought him here."

Fiorello nodded as he mixed a couple of the bottles of medicine together. "And you don't know him?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Hmm," Fiorello murmured. "This is a little surprising, to be honest. Anyone else would have left him or dumped him at the inn to have someone else take care of him. But to bring him into your own residence without knowing a thing about him takes quite a bit of courage."

Drayce frown slightly. "Does it? I mean, I couldn't leave him. And I can't imagine anyone else leaving him."

Fiorello unexpectedly chuckled. "New to Iorys, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?" Drayce asked, confused.

"With the reopening of Yggdrasil, explorers had flooded the city," Fiorello explained as he concentrated fully on the mixture of his medicines. "Some are interested in the legends, others focus only on whatever they can get. Money, weapons, fame. They're willing to use anyone or anything to get their guildname known. Anyone who could be a liability, or heaven forbid, slow them down in anyway are promptly replaced and forgotten."

Drayce...couldn't comprehend that.

He grew up in a community. A community that took care of each other. A family. A tribe. Whatever it was called, he grew up with other people. His dad. His grandparents. Blayke's parents. He was never on his own. He never had to struggle with anything on his own. He had people willing and waiting to help him with just about anything.

To him, that was normal. Was it...not normal here?

"For a stranger to help a stranger," Fiorello continued as he finally turned his gaze away from his herbs and medicine to look at Drayce with a peculiar smile on his lips. "It something unusual indeed."

Drayce shook his head. "No. This might be unusual to you, to Iorys and to the explorers, helping a stranger like this. But it’s not to me. I grew up in a community. A community that took care of each other. Helped each other out. That was how I was raised. And I’m not going to stop doing that. If someone needs help and I’m able to do just that, then I will. There are no ulterior motives with me."

For the second time since he had met him, Fiorello looked at him silently, probably gauging whether or not he was being truthful or was just saying it because it sounded right.

"I like you," Fiorello unexpectedly stated as he smiled that same impish smile as before. "You're a good kid. A rare one, but a good one."

Drayce wasn't sure how to take that, let alone respond to it, so was thankful when Fiorello turned his attention back to his medicines.

"I can make something that will bring down his fever, but he really needs some proper food and liquid. He'll also need to rest for a couple of days, so if you're willing, he will need to stay in bed here."

"That's completely fine," Drayce said before he made a motion with his hand to their surroundings. "It's not like he's taking up too much space or anything."

Fiorello gave him a sideways glance. "I'd take up less room."

Drayce arched an eyebrow. That was totally a test, wasn't it? Not falling for it. "Not making a comment to that."

"You are a good boy," Fiorello surprisingly chimed with a sing-song voice. "Because if you mentioned my height, I would have cut you like I did with that fencer bitch."

"If I made a rude comment like that, I'd deserved to be cut."

Fiorello laughed high-pitched and cheekily. "Good. In any case, I do need to stay for at least a couple of hours to ensure this medicine sits right with our patient. He's in good hands now, don't worry."

"Ah, that's a relief," Drayce replied. "And stay as long as you need. I'm not adept at healing, so it would be best if I stay out of your way."

He needed to do some more cleaning, anyway. He hadn't seen all the rooms of the guildhouse yet. Heck, he hadn't even been to the third floor!

"Ashton, Blayke, and I will be hanging around somewhere, so give a shout if you need anything."

"Will do~"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out a little longer than expected, but I’m pleased with it nonetheless. I’m also pleased that I’ve managed to maintain my schedule. Hopefully with Christmas coming up, I’ll still be writing and posting~ Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter and do let me know if you like it~

The Crescentia was a hell of a lot bigger than Drayce had anticipated. There were more rooms on the first floor he didn’t know about and there appeared to be at least fifteen, yes fifteen bedrooms on the second floor.

So, yes, this place could easily bed thirty people at once. A hell of a lot more if you had to. Hell, if sleeping on the floor was an option, the seating room alone could easily sleep thirty people in futons.

This place was massive.

Why was it so big? Ah, who cares!

“This is like a prelude to the labyrinth,” Blayke complained as he followed Drayce around as he continued his inspection of the first floor. “What could possibly be on the third floor? Wait, does this place have a basement and an attic, too?”

Such good questions!

“This is so awesome,” Drayce said almost giddily. “Can you imagine the treasures that are possibly hidden in here? I bet Dad and Grandpa found a shit-tonne of stuff themselves. Oh man, I really need to catalogue this place or something.”

“After you finish the first mission,” Blayke grumpily chimed in.

“Yes yes, no need to remind me every five seconds, Blakie.”

“Stop calling me Blakie.”

“Stop being such a fusspot.”

Blayke glared at him as he huffed, though made no attempt to rebuke him. Instead he turned his attention to their next room to inspect and grasped the handle tightly. He twisted it and paused. His brow furrowed as he twisted the handle again before his uttered a noise of frustration.

“It’s locked,” he said.

Drayce shrugged as he reached into an inside pocket of his coat. “No problem. I’ll just pick the lock.”

“Do you really carry your lock-picking kit with you everywhere?” Blayke asked with a tone that was a mixture of incredulous and exasperation.

“Naturally,” Drayce replied as he pulled out a wallet size leather kit and with a flick of his wrist, opened it and pulled out a thin pin. “What’s the point of coming across a locked chest if you can’t open it?”

Blayke simply snorted in response and chose to say nothing more. Instead he leaned against the wall next to the door and folded his arms, waiting to watch Drayce go to work. Drayce didn’t find that at all unusual. Despite his grumpiness, he did find the thought of treasure hunting interesting.

Drayce will get him as obsessed with the idea one day.

Crouching down, Drayce balanced the lock picking kit on his knee as he inspected the lock before him. He could see clear through to the other side, indicating that there wasn’t anything jamming it nor was there a key in the other side. Now all he needed to do was to figure how to best move the tumblers to open the door.

Should only take a few seconds.

With a bit of twisting and pulling, poking and prodding, Drayce finally heard that satisfying ‘click’ of the tumblers falling into place and the door creaking.

“See? Piece of cake,” Drayce said in triumph as he quickly put away his lock-picking tools and placed them into the pocket of his jacket. With them hidden safely where they belong, he pushed himself to his feet and pushed the door open further to allow for him and Blayke to enter the room.

The room was dark as there appeared to be thick curtains covering the windows. There was also a light musty smell, probably due from being locked up and unused for so long.

And as Drayce looked around the room, he soon realised what it was used for. The bed in the corner, the strange mechanical equipment, the shelves of bottles. Despite it being locked up for a few years at least, there was still a distinct disinfectant smell in the air.

It was a clinic.

Yeah, an actual clinic.

He couldn’t help but wonder why such an important room was locked up.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting this,” Drayce said as walked over to a cabinet and looked through the glass where rows of marked medica bottles could be seen. “Though having a clinic like room at the guildhouse would make sense.”

“Only if you know how to use it,” Blayke added. “I wonder how old these bottles are, though. And if they’re safe to use.”

“Yeah, good point,” Drayce said as he reasoned with himself not to touch anything.

Yeah, not wanting to physically lay his hands on something was difficult for someone like him, but honestly, he really didn’t want to mess around with any of this medical stuff. He may not know much about the medicine and disinfectant chemicals, but better safe than sorry.

“I wonder if I could get Fiorello to check this place out later,” Drayce mused. “If these are dangerous to our health, a professional like him would be better equipped to deal with it, right?”

“Why don’t you ask him to join the guild?” Blayke unexpectedly asked him.

“Nah,” Drayce replied as he moved away from the cabinet and carefully made his way out of the room so not to disturb anything. “He has a sore spot in regards to explorers. Understandable from what I’ve learned. I mean, if he wants to join, that’s his choice, but I’m not going to force him.”

Blayke followed him out and closed the door behind him. “Ok, so the first floor has a seating area, a dining room, a kitchen, a clinic, and two other seemingly empty, miscellaneous rooms. And the second floor appears to be the sleeping quarters with three bathrooms. What is left that would be on the third floor?”

Drayce held his chin in thought. “Knowing Grandpa, there’s possibly a library, drawing room, treasure room, weapon storage room, and a something akin to a games room for just hanging out. Oh, and probably a bar because he did like the occasional drink.”

Blayke stared at him for a moment before he made an exasperated expression and ran his hand over his face. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “This guildhouse is massive. It has all the facilities that our entire village back home did! What are we going to do with all this space?”

Now, Blayke was exaggerating a little. The guildhouse wasn’t as big as their village. Maybe half the size? From what he had seen so far at least.

Drayce shrugged carelessly. “To be fair, the third floor and possible attic is probably filled with useless trinkets and doodads.”

That, for some reason, didn’t thrill Blayke all that much. “Brilliant,” he muttered under his breath.

“Don’t worry too much about it,” Drayce said as he slapped Blayke on the back in an effort to knock him out of his grumpy mood. “Once we start bringing in guildmates, we’ll be happy to have all this space. At least we won’t get in each other’s way.”

“We could lose guildmates in here! Disappear to be never seen again!”

Drayce laughed. “Come on, it’s not that bad. Better than being lost to the labyrinth, yeah?”

Now, what should he do next?

As interested as he was to explore the third floor and all the mysterious rooms, he wanted to check in on Fiorello to see if their unnamed patient had awakened at all. He was pretty sure he had improved somewhat, enough not to cause any alarm, but hopefully he would awaken soon.

“Hey, I’m just going to check in on Fiorello and the kid,” Drayce said as he made his way over to the stairs. “If you find anything else interesting, let me know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Blayke responded idly as he shooed him away.

With a nod of acknowledge, Drayce turned on his heel and headed upstairs. As he climbed the stairs, he found his thoughts unwittingly drifting to that chance encounter in the street that led him to Fiorello’s door.

Zohar, the necromancer, had been a peculiar man, but nice and harmless all the same. He wondered if he lived with Fiorello and if they were friends or merely acquaintances. Fiorello obviously wasn’t a part of a guild, so could he assume the same of Zohar? If not, why not?

He definitely piqued his curiosity.

As he reached the top step Drayce pulled himself out of his thoughts and quickly made his way to the closest room, the one with the door slightly ajar. He knocked on it once lightly before he pushed it open and stepped into the room.

Fiorello was sat in a chair at the foot of the bed, seemingly reading to pass the time while the white wolf that was the loyal companion to the unnamed Therian sat by his bed, his head resting on the bed near the young man’s arm. The wolf barely acknowledged Drayce’s presence while Fiorello lifted his head to look at him.

“Hey, just checking up on the patient,” Drayce said as he moved further into the room to pause near the bed.

He took a moment to study the young patient and noted with relief that he didn’t appear as red or sweaty as previous. Whatever medicine Fiorello had concocted for him seemed to have worked wonders. His breathing even seemed easier.

Good.

“He should actually be waking up soon,” Fiorello said as he closed his book. “He responded quickly to the medicine. However the dehydration and malnutrition can’t be as cured as easily.”

Drayce had figured as much.

“Um, hey?” Drayce said as he turned his full attention to Fiorello. “Do you mind if I ask you a question about Zohar? He seems protective of you.”

Fiorello rolled his eyes as he set his book aside. Although that action is usually accompanied by an expression of exasperation, he had a look of fondness on his face. “He feels that he owes me.”

Drayce blinked. “Owe?”

“A situation similar to this, honestly,” Fiorello replied as he leaned back into his chair. “I found him on the outskirts of town, sick injured and barely alive. I managed to talk a guard into dragging him to my place. He had…quite a few injuries. Honestly, I wasn’t sure he would make it. To say he was in bad shape would be an understatement.”

Drayce didn’t know how to respond to that. The knot of sympathy and surprising worry in his stomach made it difficult to think of anything worthwhile in response. All those scars he saw…were they the result of his near death? They were so…bad. Deep. He…

“He had a strong will,” Fiorello continued as a wry smile appeared on his lips. “He was alone so and no one came for him, so I was kinda stuck with him.”

…No one came for him? That was…unfair. So unfair.

“I…I see,” Drayce muttered. “To be honest, I don’t know what to say. I had no idea. But…he’s all right now, right?”

Fiorello gave him a peculiar look. “As all right as a necromancer can be.”

Before Drayce could ask him what he meant by that a soft groan of disorientation and discomfort was heard from the direction of the bed. Immediately Drayce snapped his attention in their patient’s direction, noting that the wolf, too, had sat up straight, full attention to the one lying on the bed.

Drayce made his way closer to the bed, but not too close so that he would appear intimidating or menacing in anyway. He waited patiently, but quietly as the purple and blue haired Therian slowly pulled himself out of his post sleep haze.

He rolled his head to the side and furrowed his brow. “Nashoba,” he croaked out as he lifted his hand toward the softly whimpering wolf. “Where-?”

His eyes then suddenly widened upon realising that he was in a room and bed he obviously didn’t recognised. Despite it being bad for his health, he sat up straight and with wide, panicking eyes looked around the room.

“Hey, stop moving,” Fiorello said in a scolding tone. “You’re going to make yourself faint again.”

The kid abruptly stopped moving, only snapping his head in Fiorello’s direction. His mouth dropped open in surprise and he seemed unable to form any words. Drayce immediately took pity on him and was about to explain to him what had happened and that he was safe, but was cut off by Fiorello.

“When was the last time you ate or drank?” Fiorello asked him in a manner that was honestly close to that of a parent figure; scolding with subtle concern. “How about the last time you slept comfortably? How you could let yourself get this sick is beyond me.”

The kid snapped his mouth shut and seemed to shrink back into the pillows of the bed, his ears folding back meekly. Fiorello, however, wasn’t finished.

“You’re lucky that this guy was the one to find you,” Fiorello said as he smacked Drayce’s leg with the back of his hand, never taking his gaze off of the young rover. “You owe him one hell of a thanks, kiddo. Anyone else would have dumped you at the inn and to that scatterbrained inn-keeper, no offense to her family. If they bothered with you at all.”

Ok, the kid looked really meek. The poor thing. Really, Drayce felt sorry for him. He also made the mental note not to piss off the dedicated botanist. At all.

“Honestly, you need a minder,” Fiorello finished with a huff as he folded his arms across his chest. “Kids these days.”

The kid flushed deeply, and it wasn’t from the fever. “S-sorry…”

Drayce gave him a hopefully reassuring smile. “Really, it’s fine. You haven’t been a bother. My guildhouse has plenty of room. What’s your name? My name is Drayce and the dedicated healer here is Fiorello.”

“I, ah, m-my name is Faelen,” he replied as he pinched the hem of the bedsheet between his finger and thumb in a fidgeting manner as he indicated to the white wolf with his other hand. “And this is Nashoba.”

“Well, Faelen,” Drayce said as he moved closer and sat himself down onto a chair that was close to the bed. “Despite the circumstances, it’s nice to meet you. Your wolf companion hasn’t left your side for even a second.”

Faelen nodded his head as he reached out with a hand and idly ran his fingers through white wolf’s fur. “Nashoba is normally very protective of me,” he said as he turned his gaze to Drayce to look at him curiously. “I’m…a little surprised that he let you get close.”

Drayce gave him a light shrug. “Nashoba must have known that I meant no harm. Which was lucky for me because, honestly, even if he didn’t like, I couldn’t have left you there.”

With one hand still stroking Nashoba’s coat, Faelen lifted his other hand to touch his forehead and he furrowed his brow in thought. “I fainted?”

“Right in front of me,” Drayce replied.

“I don’t remember,” Faelen muttered, to which earned him a scoff from Fiorello.

“You never do, do you?”

“I’m really sorry,” Faelen said as he dropped his hand from his forehead and turned to look at Drayce, his cheeks flushed and his lips twisted into a cute but apologetic pout. “I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble. I’m even taking up room. I’m sorry.”

Drayce held up his hand, somewhat concerned by how apologetic the young rover truly seemed to be. He wasn’t just apologizing for causing trouble (which, honestly, he wasn’t) but because he saw himself as a burden. Drayce wasn’t entirely sure if his assumption was right, but it felt right to him.

“Easy now,” he said. “As I said, it’s fine. My guildhouse has plenty of room. I mean, plenty of room.”

From what he had seen so far and with still so much left to explore of his own guildhouse, to say he had plenty of room was really an understatement.

“But you don’t know me,” Faelen murmured with an innocently confused expression.

Drayce had to bite back a sigh. He wasn’t going to go into that again. “Where I come from, helping others is completely normal. I may be new to Iorys, but I’m not going to stop being reasonable.”

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeesh. Was helping others without reward or gain really that much of a confusion and troubling concept to understand?

Faelen seemed to perk up a little for some reason. “You’re new here, too?” he asked with a slight sense of excitement in his voice. “So are we. We’ve been here a few days, but…”

Faelen then suddenly looked downcast and he dropped his gaze to his hand on his lap. Immediately, Drayce felt a sense of concern bubble in his chest.

“Did something happen?” he asked as he furrowed his brow.

“No one wanted to take us into their guilds,” Faelen replied with a defeated sigh as his ears drooped slightly. “They wouldn’t say why, just no. They wouldn’t even give us a chance.”

Drayce really couldn’t understand why.

“How old are you, kiddo?” Fiorello suddenly asked.

“I’m fifteen,” Faelen answered.

Fiorello hummed as he held his chin in thought. “Hm, young, but I’ve seen younger. Maybe these guilds you approached were simply assholes? There’s honestly a few of them around.”

Surprisingly, Drayce felt a surge of protectiveness. The reason why they didn’t take Faelen into their guilds there and then was probably because he wasn’t what they were looking for at that very moment. Or their previous rover teammate hadn’t panned out the way they wanted, so wanted another more ‘useful’ class or something.

Of course he could wrong, but that was just the gut feeling he got. And his dad always told him to trust his gut.

“Faelen,” Drayce said as he gained the young rover’s attention. “I want you to join my guild.”

Faelen’s ears perked up straight and he all but whirled around to face Drayce. His mouth dropped open ever so slightly as he stared at him, speechless. After a second or so he managed to gather himself and an expression of genuine relief mixed with cautiousness appeared on his face.

“Really?” he asked.

“You need to enter the labyrinth, right?” Drayce returned. “Whatever the reason, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want, but you do need to enter otherwise you wouldn’t have been neglecting your health by trying to enter another guild.”

Faelen looked unjustifiably guilty. “Well, yeah…”

“So do I,” Drayce continued. “I only moved here yesterday and I haven’t had the chance to register with the guildmaster yet, but I will. I need to enter the labyrinth for special reasons, too.”

Drayce paused for a moment as he thought back to the reasons why he needed to enter. Surely the two before him could be trusted with that information. Especially if he wanted one of them to enter his guild as his guildmate. He honestly wanted Fiorello to become a member to because he would feel more at ease having a talented and dedicated healer on his side.

He could also see that both Fiorello and Faelen looked intrigued. So it should be ok. Blayke might bitch at him later, but he was just protective.

“I come from a long line of treasure hunters,” Drayce said as he waved a hand idly at their surroundings. “This place is known as the Crescentia, a guildhouse that has belonged in my family for generations. My grandfather gave me the deed a little while ago before launching himself into another adventure.”

Drayce paused for a moment to think about his wild and eccentric but still loving grandfather. He hoped that he was out having the adventure of his life. And was staying out of trouble.

Nah, knowing him, he was getting into all sorts of mischief. Well, that was fine, as long as he came to visit and to tell him everything that he had seen and experienced.

Drayce shook his head slightly to focus himself. “This place isn’t the reason why I’m here, though. I was summoned here by Prince Ramus himself for a special purpose.”

Faelen uttered a soft gasp of surprise while Fiorello made a slight hum of intrigue. “Prince Ramus, you say? Well, you must be here for an important purpose indeed.”

“He wishes for me to find information or the locations on the Lost Treasures of the Legendary War,” Drayce answered with a grin. “Of course, I will need to successfully complete the first mission that the Council Hall issues to all new explorers, hence the reason why I need some trusted guildmates to help me. Soooo, how about it?”

“I’ll help!” Faelen eagerly answered.

Drayce’s smile grew a little bigger and he leaned forward to ruffle Faelen’s hair between his ears, earning himself a tiny embarrassed squeak from him. Yet he didn’t pull away and he didn’t seem to detest the display in anyway.

“Glad to hear it,” Drayce said. “Welcome to Guild Angelward then, Faelen. We just need a couple more members before we can enter the labyrinth, so take this time to get rid of your fever, ok?”

A precious smile appeared on Faelen’s lips and he looked both happy and intensely relieved. Honestly, seeing that expression made Drayce glad that he had agreed to join his guild and he hadn’t been taking in by someone else. Those guilds that turned him down didn’t deserve him.

“Well, I’ve made up my mind,” Fiorello suddenly stated, seemingly making up his mind about an important decision. “Guild Angelward, was it? Well, that’s a worthy guild for me, too.”

Drayce removed his hand from Faelen’s hair to look at the botanist with an expression of surprise on his face. “You want to join?”

Fiorello folded his arms across his chest and gave Drayce a truly cheeky smile. “After all this talk about treasure and royal missions, you won’t be able to get rid of me.”

Honestly, that was a relief! He just needed to find one more willing explorer to join and he would have a recommended party of five. But…

“What about Zohar?”

“Hmm,” Fiorello made a sound that was similar to that of a chuckle. “He tends to do his own thing. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to know I agreed to join a guild, even though the hypocrite refuses to join one himself.”

That…was a little disappointing. Would he really be ok with Fiorello joining? Maybe Drayce could talk him into joining as well, so that he…wouldn’t be alone. No one should be alone like that.

“Well, I’m glad you chose to join,” Drayce smiled brightly. “Now I can confidently tell you about the clinic we have here without feeling like I’m trying to bribe you into joining.”

Fiorello arched an eyebrow at him. “You have a private clinic? How big is this place?”

“Not a clue! But I’m going to have fun finding out!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relatively short chapter today. Sorry about that, but I had a few other projects to do. The next chapter should hopefully be longer. If I can get it done with Christmas on the way. We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, hope you enjoy reading~

After both Faelen and Fiorello agreed to join the guild, Fiorello went right to work ordering around his new teammate, fussing over him as he chided him about his health. Though Faelen had been intimidated at the very beginning, Drayce noted that he seemed relieved to have someone worry over him. And to do so blatantly.

Drayce himself was pleased, exceptionally so, at the turn of events. He didn’t help Faelen with the intention of wanting him to join. He helped him because he needed to help. He asked him to join mostly out of protectiveness as he didn’t want any other guild to use and dump him like Fiorello claimed so many new explorers did these days.

With Faelen settling in to get more rest and Fiorello more than eager to inspect his new clinic, and with Blayke agreeing to watch over the two of them, Ashton proceeded to drag Drayce out of the Crescenta. He wanted to take him to meet the contact he had mentioned that morning.

With the possibility of being able to geek out with someone as interested as he was in treasures and ancient myths, Drayce was more than happy to be led through the city. As they walked, Ashton explained to him that his friend and fellow researcher was called Shashi (his full name was Shashikiran but preferred Shashi which was fortunate as with a name that long Drayce was going to give him a nickname anyway) and his little brother Kamali. Though not treasure hunters or explorers themselves, they certainly knew their myths and legends.

And both were experts in reading ancient scripture and detecting mana in all its forms.

Drayce knew a few key words of the ancient language, but definitely not enough to translate entire documents on his own. So to know and work with someone who could do just that would certainly make things so much easier for him. And if they enjoyed their work as a translator, even better. He was more than willing to allow and help someone to indulge in their passion.

“Here we are,” Ashton said as he led him to a simple two floor apartment and up the small flight of stairs to the porch. “Be sure to remember how to get here. I’m sure once, after you complete the first mission, you’ll be visiting here a lot.”

“Dude, why do you and Blayke keep reminding of that?” Drayce said, mildly indignant with his hands on his hips. “I do know how to prioritise.”

Ashton glanced over his shoulder at him with a smile on his lips. “Prioritise, sure. Restraint, no. I know what you treasure hunters are really like. The attention span of a flea.”

“Rude.”

Ashton just chuckled as he knocked lightly on the door. Drayce dropped his hands from his lips and smoothed out his expression into that of friendliness, already over Ashton’s insinuation that he had no self-control.

A few moments later, there was the sound of a lock disengaging and the door opened a crack. Someone then peered through the small opening meekly uttering out; “Yes? Who is it?”

“It’s just me, Kamali,” Ashton replied gently. “I’m back with Drayce, like I said this morning, remember?”

A sound of understanding was heard before the door opened fully to reveal a slender Celestian with long light purple hair that framed his face and tumbled down over his shoulders and back. His hair appeared to reach his lower back and this particular shade of purple made his blue-purple eyes quite distinct. He wore the clothes similar to that of a warlock, though a deep emerald green in colour.

He fidgeted slightly with a button on his coat as Ashton stepped inside with Drayce right behind him. He was no doubt nervous, for whatever reason, about receiving a visitor, so Drayce kept his expression light and friendly so not to somehow frighten or unnerve the Celestian.

“Drayce, this is Kamali,” Ashton introduced. “Shashi’s little brother.”

Drayce turned to give Kamali his full attention and found him looking back at him with a sense of curiosity. So he gave him a good-natured, friendly salute with his hand. “Hey, pleasure to meet you.”

Kamali blinked at him, startled by the greeting before he seemed to compose himself. With a light flush to his cheeks, he bowed his head lowly. “Ah, n-nice to meet you, too.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side slightly while Ashton simply smiled reassuringly at Kamali. Obviously he was quite skittish with everyone. That was ok. Hopefully, if he did agree to join his guild (once he brought it up with him, of course), then maybe they could help him become more confident around other people.

“I don’t need to ask if Shashi is in or not, do I?” Ashton asked Kamali.

Pulling himself to stand straight, Kamali turned to give Ashton his attention and a light frown appeared on his lips. “He’s in his usual place; his office.”

“Ah,” Ashton said as he dropped his arms to his sides and turned to walk further into the residence, to the door located a few feet away from the front door.

With Kamali moving to follow, Drayce took that as his cue to enter as well.

And as he stepped into the room behind Ashton and Kamali, his mouth nearly dropped open from surprise.

The room wasn’t all that big, but it literally wall to wall with bookcases, scrolls, tomes, and other paper based articles. Honestly, the place looked awesome. There had to be some treasure maps hidden away in here. To be written in an ancient language meant they were old.

Cryptic puzzles and riddles must abound, as well.

Drayce hadn’t met this Shashi guy, but he was more than certain he would get along with him, spectacularly at that.

Ashton looked around the room and frowned. “I can’t see him,” he said as he turned his attention back to Kamali.

“He’s here,” Kamali insisted as he twisted his hands together nervously in front of him. “I can sense him. He’s definitely here.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’s here,” Ashton said with a half grin on his face as he took a couple of steps into the room. “He never leaves. The key is where about in this room he is.”

Drayce had to grin as both Ashton and Kamali cautiously began to walk around the room, idly poking at random piles and mounds of paperwork. The chorus of “Shashi, we know you’re here” and “brother, please” followed the two around the room and Drayce simply found his amusement growing.

He then noticed a slight movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see another mound of tightly rolled scrolls began to quiver and move. And just as he opened his mouth to alert the two searchers, the piles of paperwork seemed to explode to life as someone, a Celestian with purple hair a similar shade to Kamali burst free from the pile, gasping loudly for breath.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this Celestian must be Shashi.

“What?” Kamali all but squawked as he hastily made his way over to the Celestian that must be the one called Shashi. “What happened?”

“Nothing much,” Shashi replied in a surprisingly disinterested way as he idly brushed a few of the small scrolls from his hair and shoulders before he stood up. “I fell asleep at my desk and these scrolls I had been translating must have fallen atop of me. And one of the small square pieces of paper I use to scribble upon had landed on my nose and mouth, nearly suffocating me.”

Drayce blinked, his grin of amusement still in place, while both Ashton and Kamali sighed loudly with exasperation.

“Again?” Kamali asked as his shoulders drooped in defeat. “I told you to stop falling asleep at your desk. You have a perfectly good bed in your room.”

Shashi continued to brush himself down and tidy himself up. “That’s covered in scrolls waiting to be translated, too.”

Drayce didn’t think it was possible, but Kamali’s shoulders drooped forward even more. He didn’t say anything, just sighed aloud again. And again, it was that of pure exasperation.

Emitting a low chuckle of amusement, Ashton crossed the room to stand before Shashi. He then unexpectedly reached his hand up toward Shashi’s neck and he idly brushed aside his light purple hair, allowing it to tumble freely over his shoulder. Shashi blinked at him as Ashton pulled back his hand, to reveal a square scrap of paper.

“Behave,” Ashton unexpectedly said as he pressed the piece of paper to Shashi’s forehead. “You have a guest.”

Finally Shashi turned his attention in Drayce’s direction and his gaze fearlessly locked onto Drayce’s. A flicker of realisation appeared in his blue-purple eyes. “Ah, you must be Roux’s grandson.”

Drayce nodded his head. “Right. You know Grandpa?”

“Know of him,” Shashi said as he walked over to Drayce, his movements smooth and graceful.

He looked rather elegant. If Drayce had not seen for himself Shashi gasping for air after being smothered in a pile of ancient scrolls, he would never have believed it if someone else told him. Although, he did know better than to judge a book by its cover.

“Our father knew him better,” Shashi continued. “Truth be told, the majority of documents found here are thanks to your grandfather and my father working together.”

“That sounds awesome,” Drayce said in earnest. “I bet they got into so much trouble together. Or rather, Grandpa dragged him onto his little adventures, right?”

The corner of Shashi’s mouth twitched in amusement. “Oh, he tagged along willing. Do you have an experience with ancient scripture?”

“Eeh, only the essentials,” Drayce admitted unashamed. “Words like treasure, map, curse, and you know, run. That sort of thing.”

“Knowing when to run is a good thing to know, yes,” Shashi said idly.

He then suddenly stared silently at him for a few moments, his blue-purple eyes boring straight into Drayce’s once more. He suddenly drew in a sharp breath as he nodded his head.

“I like you,” he said as he abruptly turned away from Drayce to look at his brother, Kamali. “You should join his guild.”

Kamali stiffened and looked at his brother in surprise. Drayce, himself, blinked because, honestly, that came out of nowhere. He was still pleased because that meant he didn’t have to broach the subject himself.

“W-what? Really?” Kamali stammered.

“I think it will be good for you,” Shashi said as he walked over to his younger brother and placed his hands upon his shoulders. “The labyrinth, though marred with dangers, is still a place of mana and nature. It should help with your training. Also, your ability to detect mana and read ancient runes may prove critical to the quest to find the Lost Treasures.”

Kamali looked into his brother’s face, his own holding an expression of uncertainty. He then gave a half smile was a mixture of nervousness and suspicion. “You just want to make sure that any documents that are found will immediately be handed to you.”

“Yes,” Shashi said unashamedly before he lifted his hand from Kamali’s shoulder and gently took a hold of his chin. “But also, it will be good for you.”

Drayce held back a snort of amusement. This guy seemed awesome. He liked him, too. He was sure his brother was just as interesting.

He did look a little nervous, though.

“You don’t have to answer right away,” Drayce said, hoping to put Kamali at ease. “No pressure here. Why don’t you visit the Crescentia first and meet the others?”

“That would be the best place to start,” Shashi said as he idly flicked a strand of Kamali’s hair from his eyes. “Kamali here is extraordinarily adept at Detect Mana, too much so, it seems. Stagnated energy that bustling cities such as Iorys offers makes him feel listless and skittish. I believe that being surrounded by like-mind individuals in the natural setting of the labyrinth should help him clear and cleanse his aura.”

So, he needed to enter the labyrinth as well.

“Kamali will be more than welcomed to join,” Drayce said. “I haven’t officially registered with the guildmaster yet as I was waiting to form a party of five. If I’m to enter the labyrinth, I want to do it right.”

Both Shashi and Kamali turned to look at him. Though Shashi was taller than Kamali and his hair was a slightly a lighter shade of purple, they looked almost identical. However Shashi had the emotion of gratitude in his eyes while Kamali seemed to look at him in awe. But then a small smile of pure relief appeared on his lips.

“Ok,” he said with a nod of his head. “I will join. But…I also would like to visit your guildhouse and meet the others, if that’s ok?”

Drayce smiled warmly. “Absolutely. If you like, I can lead you there now.”

“No time like the present,” Shashi said as he took Kamali’s shoulder in his hand and pushed him lightly in Drayce’s direction. “Be sure to show your new teammates your wondrous Detect Mana ability.”

Kamali frowned lightly as he turned to face his brother. “I’m not stealing any scrolls for you,” he both scolded and chided.

Shashi tisked at him. “I wasn’t expecting you to. But, if you just happen to find something, I’m sure Drayce won’t mind me having a peek at it.”

“Brother, please,” Kamali sighed with exasperation.

As Drayce watched the two brothers interact, smiling at how close they truly seemed to be, he felt an unexpected pain in his chest. It was a hollow feeling. As if he was missing something.

Idly, he reached up with his hand to lightly rub at his chest through his shirt.

He…didn’t understand that hollow pain at all. He would get it occasionally. It was a strange feeling of sadden remembrance. That was the only way he could describe it. It was like his heart remembered something, something dear and important, but his mind just could not recall.

Ashton clasping a hand to his shoulder caused Drayce to drop his hand from his chest and to turn to look at the other man.

“You all right?” Ashton asked him.

Drayce blinked at him before offering him a smile, one he hoped was that of reassurance. “Dude, of course. I’m just ecstatic that I have enough guildmembers now. Soon I’ll complete that first mission so you and Blayke will need to find something else to nag at me about.”

Ashton arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh, I’m sure we can find something else to pester you about. After you complete the first mission, of course.”

“Dude, why so rude?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, almost didn’t make this week’s schedule, haha~ A longer chapter this week as well. Took a life of its own really. Hoped everyone had a decent Christmas break and the next update will be in the New Year. So please enjoy reading and let me know what you think~!

It was mid-afternoon as Drayce returned to the Crescentia with Kamali in tow. Ashton chose to stay behind for a little while longer to speak with Shashi about something. He of course wouldn’t divulge what and just told Drayce to go ahead and that he’d follow shortly.

The walk back to the guildhouse had been a rather quiet one. Drayce didn’t mind the silence. He knew when to talk and when to shut up. Well, for the most part at least. But Kamali was really quiet and seemed to be almost lethargic as he looked idly at the passing scenery. He also appeared a little nervous, at some point during their walk his hand had snuck out to snare a very light grip on the back of Drayce’s jacket.

His lethargy and apprehension must be what Shashi mentioned earlier. How the stagnate spiritual energy of the city made him feel listless.

So in order not to drain Kamali of any more of his energy, Drayce remained silent. He couldn’t help but watch him from the corner of his eye, though, feeling concerned and protective. As they drew closer to the Crescentia, though, he could see that Kamali was perking up a little.

And as they passed through the front gate of the Crescentia, Kamali perked up into an energetic state. He released his loose grip on the back of Drayce’s coat as he looked around with wide eyes. Not of panic or fear, though. Out of curiosity and interest. Maybe even excitement.

“This place…?” Kamali murmured as he hands fidgeted in front of him.

“Yeah, this is the Crescentia,” Drayce answered, not entirely sure what to make of Kamali’s suddenly burst of energy.

“I can detect so much mana here,” Kamali unexpectedly replied. “It’s energetic but also peaceful. Comforting in a way.”

Oh? To him it reminded him of his grandfather. And that, well that also brought feelings of comfort and security. And of adventure. He thought that maybe it was just him and his connection to the place, but it was nice to hear that another found the Crescentia held character all of its own.

“Is it bothering you?” Drayce asked.

“Not at all,” Kamali replied as he drifted forward to the front stoop, eagerly taking in all the details he could. He paused, however, and spun around to face him with a shocked and embarrassed expression on his face. “Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wander off like that.”

But Drayce waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine, really. If you feel something interesting, I don’t mind you wandering. But do warn me before you wander.”

Kamali flushed lightly and nodded his head, though he looked a little uncertain. “I’ll try,” he murmured, giving Drayce the indication that he, like his brother, could be a little airheaded and get caught up in their own thoughts.

He had better keep an eye on him when they finally enter the labyrinth. With Blayke helping, though, he was sure that Kamali wouldn’t be able to wander too far.

“Well, let’s head inside,” Drayce said as he motioned to the door.

Kamali nodded his head eagerly; seemingly happy and relieved that Drayce was so understanding. And as Drayce opened the door to step inside, Kamali was right behind him. He was, once again, fidgeting slightly as he looked around at the interior of the guildhouse.

He looked more impressed and eager to get exploring.

Yup, just as Drayce had thought; they were going to get along just fine.

“Hey, I’m back!” Drayce called out as he closed the door behind him.

“Drayce!” He heard Blayke’s voice call out his name from somewhere within the building followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. A few seconds later Blayke appeared from behind the staircase slightly out of breathe and his face flushed.

“There’s a fishing pond in your back garden!” he suddenly shouted at him as he stomped over.

“Huh?” Drayce muttered as he blinked dumbly when Blayke stopped right in front of him with a frown on his face. “You’ve been in the back garden without me? Rude!”

Blayke narrowed his eyes at him as he poked his chest with his index finger. “I went out there because Fiorello questioned whether or not there would be enough room to have a small herb garden. And what did I find? A fish pond. There is a literal fishing pond with a bridge in the back garden. You could literally go fishing in your own back garden.”

“Convenient!” Drayce said with a large smile. “Also means that there’s plenty of room for a herb garden. So, no hedge maze?”

Blayke rolled his eyes as he folded his arms roughly across his chest. “This place is just ridiculous. If there’s a hedge maze I’m losing my shit.”

Drayce couldn’t understand why. This place is just awesome so far. What else is there to discover?

“Could you lose your shit later?” Drayce asked in amusement as he took a step to the side to reveal Kamali who had been standing behind him the entire time. “We have a new guildmate!”

Blayke quickly lost the look of disgruntlement from his face and he blinked in surprise, seemly stunned. “Eh?”

Kamali nervously twisted a strand of his purple hair with one hand while he gave a small, shy wave with his other hand. “Ah, hello. My name is Kamali. I-it’s nice meeting you.”

“Y-yeah, you too,” Blayke stuttered in response, looking all too sheepish about his previous outburst.

Drayce just laughed as he reached out to loop an arm around Blayke’s neck and pulled him closer toward him. “This is Blayke,” he introduced as he poked Blayke’s cheek with his finger. “My bestest best friend.”

Blayke’s expression creased into a comically disgruntled look as he tugged himself out of Drayce’s grip and waved his hand dismissively at him. He had a light flush to his cheeks, though.

“Where are Faelen and Fiorello?” Drayce asked him as he took a step back to give the blushing fencer some room.

“The last time I saw them they were inspecting the clinic,” Blayke answered as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “I told them to stay together because if they separate they’d get lost.”

Drayce couldn’t help but to tease him a little more. “But you walked around on your own, you badass,” he said as he nudged him in the ribs.

Blayke snorted as he dismissively brushed him off again. “Oh, shut up,” he said as he turned on his heel and head in the direction of the clinic. “I have a bit more experience in this manmade maze then those two.”

“Hear that, Kamali?” Drayce said to Kamali as he motioned for him to follow. “Better stay close or you’ll get lost, too.”

Kamali looked confused, as if unsure whether he was joking or not. He did choose to stick close to him, though, just to be sure. “Y-yes, of course.”

As they walked into the clinic, Drayce noticed Faelen first. He sat on a chair near the door with a light blanket around his shoulders, his ears twitching slightly. Nashoba, his wolf companion, sat dutifully by his feet, seemingly watching Fiorello carefully. And the botanist was walking around as he inspected the clinic.

“Hey, what’s happening?” Drayce greeted.

Faelen immediately perked up and whirled around to greet him. “Ah! You’re back.”

“Yep,” Drayce smiled brightly. “And I’m not alone.”

Drayce then took a step to the side, like he had done previous, to reveal Kamali. “Guys, this is Kamali. He’s agreed to join our guild and help us with the first mission. Kamali, this is Faelen and Fiorello.”

Kamali politely bowed. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Hello,” Faelen greeted in return while Fiorello made a slight humming noise from across the room.

“Hm? That’s fives of us now, correct?” he asked.

Drayce’s grin grew a little wider. “That’s right. Tomorrow I’ll head to the guildhouse and finally register as a guild. After that we can start plotting our first trek into the labyrinth.” He paused for a moment to look over at Faelen. “But before any of that, how you doing, Faelen? We’re not heading into the labyrinth until after you get over your fever.”

“Ah, I’m ok!” Faelen immediately insisted, only to wince when he heard Fiorello tisk knowingly.

“He’s better than he was, that’s for certain,” Fiorello admitted. “I had wanted him to stay in bed for a little while longer, but I do know Therians. They can never sit still for very long.”

Faelen looked a little put off by that so Drayce ruffled his hair between his ears. “That’s ok, neither can I,” he said.

Faelen seemed to enjoy having his hair ruffled as he was smiling. His cheeks were still a light red, though, so the fever was obviously still there.

“This place is so big,” Faelen commented as he peered up at Drayce. “Is it ok if I look around?”

“Don’t see why not,” Drayce said as he removed his hand from Faelen’s hair. “I haven’t been to the third floor myself yet, so why don’t we head there now?”

“Ok!”

Drayce grinned at Faelen’s enthusiasm as he turns to look at the others. “What about you three?”

Kamali nodded his head eagerly as well. “Yes, of course.”

“I’m insatiably curious myself,” Fiorello also replied.

“Fine,” Blayke said in his usual grumpy, trying-not-to-be-seen-as-too-keen manner as he folded his arms over his chest. “Just because I want to see how big this place really is.”

Drayce laughed good-naturedly as he turned to lead his new guildmates on their first unofficial expedition of the Crescentia. “That’s all of us. Alright, this can be a practice exploration. Should I bring rations and camping gear?”

“From what I’ve seen so far, we might just need it,” Blayke mumbled, only causing Drayce to laugh again.

Having started on the first floor, they had to trek up two flights of stairs to get to the third. The stairs were wide and grand, carpeted with red carpeting to get it a highly regel feel. The banisters were of dark wood, mahogany more likely than not, and crafted beautifully. Whoever designed the Crescentia did so meticulously. Their time and effort could be seen in every engraving and embellishment.

There were a lot of steps, though. A good leg workout, that was for sure.

“This place could do with a good spring clean,” Fiorello commented as they finally reached the third floor.

“Absolutely,” Drayce immediately agreed as he paused at the top step and did a quick surveillance of their new surroundings. To his right was a door that had been left partially open. As a good place to start as any. “Let’s see what’s hiding behind door number one.”

Drayce quickly made his way over to the door with the others right behind him, being mindful not to crowd him, but barely reigning in their own curiosity. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of amusement as he felt them gather at his back the second his hand touched the wooden door.

With a high-pitched squeak, the door opened rather easily.

The room was dark from thick curtains over the windows. But there was a distinct smell. There was the scent of dust and dust bunnies, but under that. The scent of parchments and papers. Of ink and wax.

A bubble of expectation appeared in his chest as Drayce entered the room and moved toward the windows. He grabbed onto the thick curtains and threw them open to allow light to flood in. He turned around, ignoring the dust and fluff he had kicked up from his previous actions, he felt a wide smile spread across his lips.

“Oh, hey! It’s a drawing room!” he said excitedly.

Cautiously Blayke entered the room, idly waving away the dust particles from his face as he looked around. “Are those maps?” he asked as he indicated toward a heavy duty bookshelf with rolls of parchments shoved in nearly every nook and cranny.

“More likely than not,” Drayce said as he moved toward the bookcase and gently ran his fingers over the yellowing paper. “They might be connected to the labyrinth since they’re in the drawing room.”

He made the motion to pull one out, but paused. It was entirely possible that Grandpa or another of his ancestors had managed to sneak their way into the labyrinth and mapped some of it. And it would make navigating the first floor for Drayce and his new guildmates should there be a map here amongst the many scrolls and rolls.

But, he felt that he shouldn’t. Time has passed. They may no longer be accurate. Having an out of date map could prove to be more dangerous than having none at all. He didn’t want to confuse himself or his guildmates during their very first jaunt.

“I better not,” he muttered as he pulled his hand back. “It would be best if I draw my own map and compare them later.”

“You can draw maps, Drayce?” Faelen was the one to ask him with intense curiosity in his voice.

“I can,” Drayce answered as he walked over to the drawing table and inspected it closely. “One of the first things I learnt. There’s a really easy way to draw maps using a compass and gridding system.”

He then turned to look at Faelen to find the rover looking up at him with such interest that it all but melted his heart. So he smiled at him. “If you want, I can teach you a thing or two.”

“Sure!” Faelen beamed.

Drayce chuckled as he ruffled Faelen’s hair once more. “That’s the spirit. I’ll show you the fundamentals when we enter the labyrinth as it will be easier. Until then, let’s keep checking this place out.”

Stepping out of the draw room, a place he was sure to visit often once he started his mapping, Drayce’s gaze was drawn to the opposite end of the long corridor. There, behind the banisters surrounded void of the stairs leading down was a tall set of doors. They were a deep brown and had the engravings of two serpentine dragons. The door handles were solid steel with keyholes in both doors.

They looked rather foreboding.

So naturally Drayce was drawn to them immediately.

“Those are some pretty impressive doors,” Blayke said, his gaze immediately drawn to the doors as well, his suspicions only growing as the moved toward them. “Must be something important on the other side.”

“Hope it’s a library,” Drayce muttered.

From the size of the doors and the location, he couldn’t really see what else it could be.

As soon as he was close enough Drayce reached out to grab at the handles. He twisted them in hopes of they would simply unlock, allowing for him to throw them open in a semi-dramatic fashion.

But as he twisted the handles, he heard a telling thunk and he felt his heart drop a little.

“They’re locked,” he explained as he knelt down. “There’s something jamming it, too.”

If they were just locked, he would simply pick the lock. No big deal. But something seemed to be shoved into the lock from the other side.

Crouching down further so he could look into the key, he noted that the right side of the door was clear, able to see through to the other side to see a mostly darken room. The other lock, however, he could see something metal inside. Not jammed in, but slotted in.

“I see it,” Drayce muttered. “There’s something there. I think it’s the key.”

“How are you going to remove it?” Kamali asked him as Drayce pushed himself to his feet.

Drayce ran his hand through his red hair and smiled. “Easy; you just push it out from this side. But before that, I need a piece of paper. A large one.”

Faelen tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Paper? What are you going to do?”

Drayce just shot him another smile as he turned on his head to head back to the drawing room. “Just wait and see,” he said before he broke out into a light jog.

He headed into the drawing room and spent a few minutes looking for the right size piece of paper. He soon found one, a flat one with nothing written upon it. Perfect.

Grabbing it, he quickly made his way out of the room and headed back to the double doors where the others were waiting for him. They were softly talking amongst themselves, no doubt wondering what Drayce was up. They soon fell silent when Drayce joined them once.

With the eyes of his guildmates watching him, Drayce placed the paper on the floor and slid it under the door, leaving only a corner exposed. He positioned it so it lay directly under the door handles. And more importantly, the keyhole and whatever was blocking it. With that in place, he reached into his coat and pulled out his trusty lock-picking kit. He quickly selected the right tools and set to work.

A few seconds of some strategic poking and prodding, Drayce managed to manoeuvre whatever was blocking the lock enough to push it out cleanly. With a telling clink, it fell to the floor inside the room.

Setting his lock-picking kit aside, Drayce uttered a silent prayer in his head as he carefully pulled back the piece of paper from under the door.

Drayce couldn’t help but smile in triumph as a golden key came out atop of the piece of paper.

“Handy trick, right?” Drayce quipped when he heard a few murmurs of awe and surprise from his guildmates. “Now, let’s see what’s hidden inside.”

Picking up the key, Drayce inserted it into the lock and turned it. With little resistance there was the sound of the lock disengaging and the door popped open slightly on its own accord. Removing the key and placing it into his pocket for safe keeping, Drayce pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Though it, too, had heavy curtains blanketing the windows, Drayce felt his mouth drop open in surprise as his eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light. And what he was what he had hoped to see, but he never dreamed it would be on such a grand scale.

From floor to ceiling, all but wall to wall saved for narrow walk ways and tables to rest upon were bookcases.

“It IS a library!” Drayce said as he looked around in awe, barely registering the gasps and mutterings of surprise from the others.

He quickly made his way over to a window to draw back the curtains and allow light in. As light flooded into the room, he turned to get a better look at the room.

A large oak table with several chair sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by tall bookcases. Some were neatly ordered, while others seemed to be shelved haphazardly. All of them were full, however, saved for one. A lone bookcase, smaller than the others, was completely empty.

Perhaps that was a small gift from his grandfather? For him to fill with his own findings and documents?

Whatever the reason, this room was amazing. The knowledge that could be found here.

“I need to tell Shashi,” Drayce found himself muttering.

“A-ah, no!” Kamali unexpectedly squeaked at him and latched onto his arm.

Drayce turned to look at the purple-haired warlock and blinked at him. “Huh? Why not?”

“Just not yet, please,” Kamali said in a positively pleading tone. Even his eyes seemed to be shimmering imploringly at him. “You saw how he was like in his own office. Imagine what he would be like in here.”

Again, Drayce blinked. “I don’t see the problem.”

Kamali’s shoulders instantly slumped like they had done earlier that day. “Ah…” he muttered, seemingly trying to search for more words to say.

“I do,” Blayke suddenly spoke up and walked over to them, though his gaze mostly on Kamali. “Let me guess; he’s your brother who has the habit of getting so caught up in his work that he forgets to eat and sleep, and when he does sleep it’s usually slumped over his desk from pure exhaustion?”

Kamali blinked at him before he mutely nodded his head.

“Yeah, no,” Blayke said as he planted a hand on his hip as he outstretched the other toward Drayce. “Not having two of you idiots here. Give me the key.”

Drayce arched an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you know why,” Blayke counted. “I’m going to make sure you don’t sneak in here. You may be able to pick the lock, but that takes time. Enough time for me to catch you.”

“Dude, you are such a parent,” Drayce pouted as he plunged his hand into his pocket to take a hold of the key. “Look, let’s be reasonable. I promise I won’t do any researching until after I complete the first mission, ok?”

Blayke gave him a blank look as he pointed at his other hand. “Your fingers are twitching.”

Drayce winced and glanced down at his left hand to find that, yes, it was literally twitching. Only ever so slightly, but twitching nonetheless. He was just itching to get his nose into any of these books to learn anything he could.

“Of course they are,” Drayce relented. “They’re going to continue to twitch until I can start researching.”

Blayke continued to look at him blankly. “Give me the key,” he ordered.

Drayce pulled the key out of his pocket but kept a firm grip on it. “Come on. I’m an adult. I know restraint.”

For some reason, Blayke did not look even remotely convince. His right eyebrow was even twitching. He then suddenly lunged at him in order to physically take the key from him. “Give me that damn key!”

Drayce lifted the key up over his head while he tried his hardest to fend Blayke off with the other. But Blayke grabbed a hold of his wrist in hopes of giving himself some lavage while also ensuring that Drayce didn’t make a run for it.

Honestly, the second Blayke demanded the key, Drayce should have bolted.

“Dude, come on, trust me!”

“Not a chance!”

“You don’t trust me? I’m so hurt!”

“I don’t trust you for a second in regards of your own health!”

“Rude!”

While Drayce was trying to push Blayke away from him he suddenly felt someone else come up behind him. Were they gaining up on him?

He didn’t have the time to think of an counter when the key was forcibly removed from his hand and a familiar voice rung through his ears.

“I’ll take that.”

Drayce’s eyes widen and he could see that Blayke was also caught off guard by the new person. They both paused in what they were doing, Blayke’s holding Drayce’s wrist while Drayce had a knee to Blayke’s stomach in an attempt to push him off.

“Ash?” Drayce blinked when he looked over his shoulder to see the green-haired Earthlain looking at him with a rather pleasantly smug look on his face. “When did you get back?”

“About five minutes ago,” Ashton replied as he idly twirled the key to the library around on the tip of his finger. “And good thing I did. I think we shouldn’t tell Shashi about this library. Not yet, at least. Not until-”

Drayce groaned as he and Blayke detached themselves from each other and he turned to give Ashton an irritated pout. “After we complete the first mission, all right. I get it.”

Ashton gave him an empathetic look as he snatched the key and used it to poke Drayce on the forehead. “One task at a time. And, yes, I’m keeping this key on me at all times.”

“You’re acting just like a parent,” Drayce whined as he planted his hands onto his hips, looking purely disgruntled. “I’m not a kid.”

Ashton arched an eyebrow at him and once more poked him on the forehead with the key. “One; your father asked me to watch over you. Two; I know how you treasure hunters operate.”

Drayce pretended not to know what he was referring too. It wasn’t like Drayce, or his father or grandfather would ever get so caught up in researching a possible myth or reading about one that they would forget to eat and sleep. Like, who would do that? Seriously?

“Everyone out of the library,” Ashton suddenly ordered.

“Why?” Drayce asked as Ashton placed his hand on his shoulder and began to push him out of the room.

“Because it’s a distraction,” Ashton returned as he motioned for the others to follow with his left hand while his right kept a firm grip on the back of Drayce’s coat. “You need to focus on what you need to do to be allowed free access into the labyrinth. Until then, try to hold off finding any myths and legends you want to pursue. Out.”

“Gwaaaad, fine,” Drayce whined childishly again.

“Shashi’s here, also,” Ashton said when everyone stepped foot outside the library and he spent a moment or two securely locking the room. “Distracted, thank the Mighty Tree.”

Drayce couldn’t help but wonder how annoyed Shashi was going to be when he learnt of the library’s existence. Of course, that annoyance was likely to last only until he could get access to the library. After that, the only thing that would matter would be getting his hands on anything remotely interesting.

And, honestly, Drayce was likely to be there right along with him. So not telling him was going to be hard.

“Besides its nearing dinner time,” Ashton said as he placed the key into a pocket in his vast and smile at them. “Who’s hungry?”

A chorus of affirmation quickly followed and they quickly made their way down the stairs to head into the kitchen.

As Drayce followed everyone down he couldn’t help but smile to himself. He had enough members to officially form a guild. He could finally enter the labyrinth. He could finally do what he had dreamed about for as long as he could remember.

He was so looking forward to what the future had in store for him.

And his guild, Angelward.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think these chapters are steadily getting longer :D Ah, but that’s what happens when I write about cute and precious boys being cute and precious~ Haha, hope you enjoy reading~!

It was shortly after breakfast that Drayce decided to drag his new guildmates to visit the Guildmaster and officially register as a guild of Iorys. He knew, however, that the registering was to be the easy part. They first needed to prove they had what it took to survive the trappings and dangers of the first floor as well as executing a mission to the exact requirements.

To be honest though he wasn’t all that worried. He was a little apprehensive about facing the dangers that gossip like to spread about the labyrinth. He was more concerned about keeping the others safe. He was a dragoon; it was his duty after all. It was also for his sanity’s sake. The last thing he wanted was to drag others into danger, or worst get them injured because of him.

Drayce shook his head to clear his thoughts as they walked into the Guild Building.

There was, unsurprisingly, a queue leading up to the registry desk where a man in stocky armour could be seen.

He was obviously the guildmaster. He was adorned head to toe in impressive and honestly intimidating black armour. Not an inch of skin was expose and the thick, box shaped helmet with a golden crest of a dragon on top masked his entire face. Only slender slits in the metal for the eye holes.

How that man could see let alone breathe in that heavy armour, Drayce couldn’t even begin to fathom.

But each to their own, right?

“Hm,” the man murmured as Drayce and his soon-to-be official teammates finally approached the desk after several minutes of waiting. “I have not seen you around here before. New explorers expecting to conquer the labyrinth in it’s entirely, I wonder?”

The way the man asked that question, Drayce couldn’t help but feel a sense of agitation to it. Not directed at him exactly, but at the notion of another rookie guild wishing to register. The paper work and constantly lecturing of new guilds would get on anyone’s nerves, honestly.

Drayce decided to get straight to the point so not to agitate the intimidating man further. “New explorers? Yes. Looking to conquer the labyrinth? No.”

With the oversized helmet, it was extremely difficult to tell what the man could be thinking, but Drayce could definitely feel his eyes on him. Inspecting, critically searching.

“Is that so?” the man returned in a level tone, giving no indication to what he was truly feeling. “Name?”

“Drayce Pendragon.”

“Ah, yes,” the hulking man suddenly muttered with an air of realisation. “I’ve been expecting you. Prince Ramus has explained to me that he had requested the presence of a treasure hunter to aid him. Finally found a team that would help you in the labyrinth, have you?”

“Yes, fortunately,” Drayce replied. “I wanted to do things right so waited until I had enough members before registering.”

“Wise choice,” the man replied before he straightened his posture. “I have not introduced myself, have I? I am Egar, guildmaster of Iorys. The registration of your guild is just the first step, as I’m sure you are aware.”

Drayce nodded his head. “Oh yes, I’m well aware of the first mission,” he said with a small grin.

“Good,” Egar simply said as he shuffled through the papers on the desk for a moment and pulled out single piece of paper. “This form is just a formality. I will need a guildname and the names of your guildmates. I take it you have already thought of a guildname for yourselves?”

“Absolutely,” Drayce replied as he took the form from him.

He placed it on the desk in front of him and picked up a writing utensil that was situated in a clay cup nearby and quickly wrote in the name of his guild. After that, he wrote in his name, signing off with a signature to make if official. He then took a step to the side to allow those with him to write their names as well.

Blayke step forward first with Faelen close behind. Kamali and Fiorello soon followed suit, each of them signing their name with an air of confidence and relief.

After they had all signed their names, Drayce handed the form back to Egar, who took is and immediately lifted it up to read.

“Angelward, hm?” Egar repeated, seemingly mulling over the name in his head for a few moments. “Unusual name, but it is satisfactory. I do hope that it will become a name of legends and not one lost to the archives like so many have already.”

Drayce winced and scratched the back of his neck. “So, ah, a few guilds have been lost already, huh?”

Despite the bulkiness of his armour, Egar crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “Yes, unfortunately. Rushed in without preparation. Energetic, but foolhardy.”

Drayce couldn’t afford to make the same mistake.

“You are free to pick and choose who joins your guild from here on out,” Egar continued. “But try to keep it fewer than thirty. For your sake and mine.”

“I promise to restrain myself,” Drayce said with a smile.

With a quick goodbye, he ushered the others away from the desk to allow those who had been waiting in line to register themselves. Normally, after a guild had registered themselves, they would head to the Council Hall and receive their mission. But Drayce had already done that so there was nothing really stopping them from launching themselves into the labyrinth right there and then.

He decided against it, though. He wanted to study that first mission document again and do a little more prepping. Just to be sure that they were ready. He didn’t want to head in only to be forced out after realising they had forgotten something.

Not a good look for a treasure hunter.

There were a couple of other reasons, though.

“We’ll head into the labyrinth tomorrow morning,” Drayce said as he and his guildmates made their way back to the Crescentia.

Faelen perked up beside him and gave him a puzzled look. “Why not today?”

Drayce lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles gently against Faelen’s forehead. “Because you’re still recovering.”

“But-!” Faelen immediately began to protest but Drayce quietened him by ruffling his hair.

“Now, no protesting,” he said sternly, but still in a gentle tone. “The labyrinth is over a thousand years old. It will still be here tomorrow. There’s no need to rush things. You won’t be able to see and experience everything if you’re in a hurry, can you?”

Faelen seemed deflated as his ears folded back slightly against his head. “Well, no,” he admitted.

He seemed really eager to get into the labyrinth. Drayce was sure he had his reasons and though he was curious, he didn’t have the right to ask. However, that didn’t mean he was going to let Faelen neglect his health again.

“Cheer up,” Drayce said as he gave Faelen’s hair one last friendly ruffling before pulling his hand back and placing it on his shoulder. “We’ll spend all day tomorrow on the first floor. For now, we should at least prepare ourselves for our very first jaunt.”

From the back Fiorello made a sound of agreement. “That’s fine with me,” he said. “I want to inspect that clinic of yours further.”

Standing on the other side of Drayce, Blayke also agreed. “Yeah. I should check and recheck my amour, just in case as well.”

“Yeah, I should do the same with my shield,” Drayce added. “I should also do a bit of practicing as well. Mostly with my Decoy Shield so I get used to summoning it whenever necessary.”

And as quickly as possible because he’ll be damned if he let any of the monster bastards land a blow on his teammates.

“What about you, Kamali?” Drayce asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

At the back of the small group and glancing at their surroundings idly, and honestly rather listlessly, Kamali slowly turned to face him. His eyes appeared glassy for a moment and it made Drayce remember what Shashi had said yesterday, about how the energies of the city leave Kamali feeling restless and listless.

“Hm?” Kamali murmured before he seemed to catch himself and he tensed up. “Oh, perhaps I should tell my brother of our plans for the day. I should perhaps get some training in myself.”

“That’s cool,” Drayce said. “After you informed your brother, feel free to stop by the Crescentia to train. Plenty of room there.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

… … … … …

After returning to the Crescentia and everyone parting way to do their own thing for a little bit, Drayce rechecked the details of the first mission before he decided to head into the back garden in hopes to find a training spot for himself. But as he stepped out the large glass panelled backdoors and onto the sandstone tiled patio, he found himself stopping dead in his tracks.

Blayke had said to him yesterday that there was a pond with a bridge in the back garden, but he didn’t mention anything about the stone terraces and winding pathways leading up to said pond. Or that it was all covered in overgrowing flowery plants and climbing vines.

From where he stood, he couldn’t see the back fence only more overgrown plants and shady trees. The pond seemed self-sufficient as well, the arching bridge over it made of wood panelling with stone railings.

After a moment of admiring the scenery, Drayce turned his gaze to the patio beneath his feet. It was made of solid natural stone, the shape of a semi-circle that reached around the majority of the back of the guildhouse. Large enough to have the entire dining room table and chairs out here with enough room to still move around easily. The stone banisters were covered in green moss and climbing ivy, and on the stone steps led down to the pathway that led to the pond.

It was actually quite beautiful, to be honest.

The patio might actually be a good spot to get some training in.

“Ah,” came a soft gasp behind him. “This is…?”

Drayce turned around and waved a hand in greeting. “Ah, you’re back. Did you tell your brother?”

Kamali was looking intensely at the scenery of the garden, his eyes wide with interest. Unlike what he looked like outside of the Crescentia, in the streets of Iorys, he appeared bright and energetic. The energy of the Crescentia was beneficial for him, that much was obvious.

“Y-yes,” Kamali murmured as he walked over to him, his gaze still lingering on the greenery. “He was rather excited for me.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in curiosity. Though Kamali looked at everything with an expression of intrigue, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something bothering him. A look of worry appeared in his eyes the moment his brother was mentioned.

“You looked worried,” Drayce commented lightly.

Kamali turned to look at him, subtly startled before he unexpectedly sighed and his shoulders drooped in exasperation. “He fell asleep at his desk again.”

Upon immediately recalling the first time Drayce laid eyes on Shashi, he laughed. He hoped he didn’t nearly suffocate again. “I see.”

“I really worry about leaving him alone,” Kamali admitted as he rubbed at his temples with his fingertips.

“You’re a very dedicated brother, aren’t you?” Drayce found himself commenting. “I bet he worries about you, too.”

Kamali nodded his head slowly as he dropped his hands to his sides. “Well, yes, he does,” he said before a curious and contemplative expression appeared on his face. “To…to be honest with you I’m a little surprised he told me to join your guild. Usually he would scare away anyone who dares to ask me.”

Drayce was slightly startled by the admission. “Perhaps it’s because of Ashton. They look close.”

Kamali didn’t look convinced. “Maybe he saw something in you?”

“Me?” Drayce asked as he dumbly pointed to himself. “Because I’m a treasure hunter. Or maybe the potential for the guildhouse to have a library was what caught his attention?”

“I don’t mean that,” Kamali said as he chuckled softly into his hand, a small smile on his lips. He winced a moment later, though, and looked to the side. “Though it is a possibility.”

Drayce chuckled. “Well, he certainly appears to be a dedicated researcher. He would love the library, I’m sure.”

Unexpectedly, a faraway look appeared in Kamali’s eyes, dimming the bright violet orbs slightly. “He’s…still searching,” he murmured softly, the words barely audible.

But Drayce was able to catch them and they piqued his interest. “Hm?”

Kamali blinked before he flushed slightly at having been caught mumbling. He fidgeted slightly as he looked down at the ground. “Well…”

Drayce immediately knew that he was uncomfortable. “Ah, it’s personal, right? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

Those words seemed to calm Kamali and reassure and he lifted his gaze back up to regard Drayce once more. “Maybe later,” he said before he motioned to the area around them with a wave of his hand. “What are you doing out here?”

“Inspecting the back garden in search for a training spot,” Drayce readily admitted as he turned his gaze to their surroundings as well, to the moss covered stone pillars and terraces. “Looks as treacherous as the labyrinth, doesn’t it?”

Next to him, Kamali chuckled lightly once again. “Yes, it certainly does.”

“No need to go all the way out there, though,” Drayce continued as he folded his arms. “I can practice my summoning here on the patio.”

“Hm?” Kamali made a sound of interest. “Summoning?”

Drayce simply grinned as he took a couple of steps forward to give himself some room. “Here, let me show you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate. After a few seconds on focusing on his intentions, a rush of energy rushed through him and he felt that energy dissipate only to appear in the air before him. He opened his eyes to see a bunker in the form of his trusty shield in front of him. The kick-stand was out, allowing for the shield to stand alone.

“This little baby is called Decoy Bunker,” Drayce explained as he rested an elbow on the bunker and casually leaned against it. “It’s an etheric illusion pulled into physical form that irritates the monsters into attacking it instead of any of us.”

Kamali immediately pushed himself forward to inspect the bunker, circling it and giving it the occasional poke. “Amazing,” he murmured. “You were able to pull this from etheric plain and gave it a physical form.”

Drayce nodded his head. “At this point in time I can only have three of these puppies out at one time. I can call more only if one of the three is destroyed.”

Kamali stood up straight and held his chin in thought for a moment. “I suspect that with training you can increase the defence?” he questioned.

“That’s what they say,” Drayce answered as he pushed away from the bunker and placed his hands on his hips. “Hey, you said you wanted to do some training, right? Why not test yourself against this?”

“Huh?” Kamali murmured as he dropped his hand from his chin and turned his head to look at Drayce with curious eyes.

Once more Drayce grinned at him. “Why not?” he returned as he lifted a hand and lightly tapped at the steel bunker with his knuckles. “Doesn’t matter if you destroy it, I’ll just call forth another one. Besides, it’ll be good for me to get used to calling them anyway. So go all out.”

Kamali appeared apprehensive. “I, ah, guess I can try.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Drayce said as he clasped his hand against Kamali’s shoulder and sent him a wink. “The garden needs a bit of a prune anyway.”

A startled blink was soon followed by a soft chuckle. “I think I’ll settle with ice attacks for now,” Kamali returned.

“Suit yourself,” Drayce said good-naturedly. “But, hey, maybe I should get Blayke involved. Maybe the two of you can work together with your elemental abilities and Blayke’s chase skills. Wait here, I’ll go get him and we can train together.”

Kamali nodded his head eagerly. “Ah, ok!”

… … … … …

After a couple of hours training and then a hearty dinner over some friendly conversations, it grew late. Everyone had gone their separate way to retire for the night. Drayce had ventured upstairs to the drawing room to double check his map-making kit was in order before venturing back down to the second floor to make his way to his own room.

He was feeling good about tomorrow. Blayke and Kamali had gotten some training in and were able to coordinate a few attacks, which was good to see. Drayce had also figured out a way to summon his Decoy Bunkers a few seconds faster. Not an immediate thing, but a few seconds were better than nothing.

As Drayce walked through the hallways of the Crescentia he noticed light coming from under the door leading to the bedroom that Faelen had taken. The rover wasn’t allowed to join in on the training because he had to ensure that his health was top-notch for when they finally set foot in the labyrinth.

To see the light still on in his room was a little concerning. Wouldn’t hurt to check in on him.

Drayce knocked lightly on the door. “Faelen? You still awake?”

He heard a slight squeak from the other side and the sound of someone trying to clamber back into bed. With a slight shake of his head, but with a smile on his lips nonetheless, Drayce opened the door.

“Everything all right?” Drayce asked as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Can’t sleep?”

Faelen was sat in bed with the blankets pooled at his waste. Nashoba was asleep on a mat at the foot of his bed. And next to the white-furred wolf was an explorer’s kit along with an bow and arrow set. Obviously Faelen had been rechecking his equipment, no doubt excited for what tomorrow may bring them.

“Ah, nervous about tomorrow?” Drayce questioned as he crossed the room to stand by Faelen’s bed.

“A little,” Faelen admitted. “Do you think we’ll be able to complete the first mission tomorrow?”

Drayce shrugged. “Don’t know, but we’ll try.”

Faelen nodded his head idly as his hands toyed with the blankets on his lap. He seemed to be mulling something over in his head. “Hey, Drayce? Can I tell you something?”

“Sure, of course,” Drayce immediately replied as he sat down on the edge of Faelen’s bed. “Is there something bothering you?”

Again, Faelen nodded his head. “You told me your reason for entering the labyrinth. I want to tell you mine.”

“Sure, I’m listening.”

Faelen pressed his lips together for a moment before he drew in a deep breath and spoke, “I’m looking for my brother.”

Drayce was surprised and he felt his eyes widen slightly. “Brother?”

“Well, he’s actually my cousin,” Faelen explained as he pulled his knees to his chest and he wrapped his arms around them. “A few years older than me but we were raised by our grandmother as brothers.”

“What happened to him?” Drayce asked with genuine concern as his heart seemed to skip a beat for whatever reason.

“He and Grandma were fighting a lot,” Faelen continued, his ears folding flat against his head in a dejected and disheartened manner. “I don’t know what about or why as they never told me. But after a huge argument he ran away from home. That was a few months ago now and I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”

Drayce immediately felt his heart go out to the rover. “You think he was drawn here because of the labyrinth?”

Resting his chin atop of his knees, Faelen nodded his head. “He always wanted to be an adventurer. But…”

“What is it?”

Faelen struggled to find the right words for a few moments. “It’s…though he and grandma didn’t get along; I just can’t imagine him running away without telling me at least.”

“I see,” Drayce murmured, not knowing what else to say. “The two of you were close?”

“Yeah,” Faelen replied, his eyes downcast.

Drayce quietly studied the purple and blue haired rover for a moment. “Does your grandmother know that you’re here, too?” he questioned.

Faelen noticeably stiffened before he gave a skittish one shoulder shrug. “Well, kinda.”

“Kinda?” Drayce repeated as he arched a sceptical eyebrow at him.

Faelen sunk down into his pillows in defeat. “She didn’t want me to go but I wanted to find my brother.”

Drayce sighed as he reached out to gently ruffle Faelen’s hair. “You should write to her,” he said, not in a scolding tone though, but an understanding one. “Tell her that you’re safe and with a guild now. It will ease her worry, I’m sure. If she’s anything like my Grandmamma, she wouldn’t want to lose both her precious grandsons.”

Faelen peered up at Drayce with a curious expression. “Your grandma?”

“Ah,” Drayce murmured as he pulled back his hand when a sharp pain of mourning hit him in the chest. “She died a few months ago, unfortunately.”

“I’m sorry,” Faelen said in genuine sympathy.

“That’s why I want you to least think about writing to your grandmother, ok?” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet. “But for now, try to get some rest. Tomorrow we’ll head into the labyrinth for the first time. Need you to be in top shape.”

“Ok,” Faelen relented as he settled himself comfortably into his bed, rolling onto his side to watch Drayce walk to the door. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Drayce returned before he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, quietly closing the door behind him.

When the door clicked, signalling that it had closed, Drayce allowed a grimace of pain to spread across his face. The expression stayed as he turned and idly made his way in the direction of his room. He found his hand moving on its own accord to clutch at his shirt against his chest.

Drayce felt his chest unexpectedly tighten further from a sting of pain as he own words echoed through his head. _Wouldn’t want to lose both precious grandsons_. Why? Why did those words hurt his chest so much?

“Drayce?”

Startled, Drayce jumped slightly and turned to look behind him. He was surprised to find Blayke a few steps behind him with a scowl of concern on his face. “Ah, yeah?”

“What’s wrong?” Blayke asked him bluntly, his brow furrowing further when he noticed Drayce’s hand grasping at his chest.

Drayce blinked before he abruptly dropped his hand from his chest and idly moved his hand behind his back. “It’s…nothing, don’t worry about it.”

Blayke didn’t look convinced. At all.

“Ah, hey?” Drayce said, purposely interrupting him from questioning him further. “Be sure to write to your parents to let them know that you’re ok, ok?”

An expression of surprise appeared on Blayke’s face and he blinked dumbly at him for a few seconds. “Sure,” he finally uttered.

“Good,” Drayce smiled brightly before he turned on his head to continue his way to his room, waving a hand cheerfully over his shoulder as he did so. “Let’s try to get some sleep. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

That was right. He had other important things to think about. Better get himself into the mindset of a treasure hunter and explorer.

Right. First floor, here we come~!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for trying to keep my chapters under 4000 words :D But at least we’re getting close to the true theme of this saga. Action and intrigue will be in the following chapters. Until then, hope you enjoy reading~

The stone steps and pathways built into the spiralling green root of Yggdrasil bridged the distance between the city and the entrance into the labyrinth. Though the bridge, well maintained in spite of the heavy foot traffic, presented an amazing view of the city of Iorys as it spiralled over the rooftops, it was the large tree itself that was what drew the eye. As was the stone, heavily fortified fortress that guarded the entrance.

The large thick slabs of sandstone and gate of heavy duty steel and iron was the only reminder of the Legendary War that raged over a thousand years ago. And the lingering aftermath.

As they walked through the access, Drayce found himself looking up at the large steel gate that hung above their heads. He could easily imagine the desperation the Four Councils felt in the war’s aftermath. The need to protect the mighty labyrinth and to help it heal. The mighty stone fortifications were sure to ward of many from entering. Many, but not all. The Councils were sure to have known that, which was why the Celestian mages’ thought to erect golems to seal the path into Yggdrasil.

But with the power of the golems fading, it was only right that the inhabitants of the four races be allowed to venture within Yggdrasil once more. This way they can ensure that another Legendary War does not occur again.

Moving through the ancient gate, Drayce led his guild toward a small flight of stairs that would take them to the first floor of Yggdrasil. The excitement seemed to mount with each step they took. And with each step the scent of a gentle floral scent and the light of the sun grew stronger.

Finally, as they all stepped out from the stairs of stone and wood, they were inside the labyrinth.

And what they saw, what Drayce witnessed, was a beauty that exceeded all his dreams and expectations.

A forest of the most vibrant green set within pools of crystal blue water. The world around them was of pure natural beauty. The green grass, the moss covered stones, the flowers of blue, pinks, yellows and whites, crystal blue water, the twisting roots of Yggdrasil; there were no words to describe the true magnificence and beauty. Or how well they came together.

The air was so fresh and crisp, and gentle as it gently caressed the leaves high above their heads. The scent of the flowers and moist soil seemed to bolster their excitement. The chittering of birds high in the trees only added to the serenity and peacefulness of the world around them.

To finally step within Yggdrasil, a place that had been sealed away for so long, was an absolutely indescribable feeling.

It truly was amazing. Absolutely breathtaking.

To think that over a thousand years ago the mighty Yggdrasil was nearly razed to the ground by a man known simply as The Despot. And yet, at the sight of the vivid colours around them, at the freshness of the air and the magnitude of vibrant flowers, the war appeared to be nothing more than a distance memory. It was a testament to how incredible Yggdrasil truly was.

The Despot was truly arrogant if he thought he could conquer the labyrinth so easily.

As Drayce continued to survey his surroundings, he looked to his right to see a guard only a few yards away. He seemed to notice them at the same time and he made a waving motion with his hand, motioning them to go over to him. Figuring that the guard was stationed inside the labyrinth with the purpose of helping new guilds with their first mission, Drayce wasted no time in approaching him with the others in tow.

“Welcome,” the guard greeted them kindly, his voice soft and surprisingly placid. “New explorers, are you? Your faces are new to me.”

“Yup, a bunch of first timers,” Drayce said in return as he gave a friendly salute. “Hoping to get started on the first mission.”

The guard smiled softly and nodded his head. “Well, I welcome you to Tutelary Forest. I can safely assume that you are aware of what the first mission entails?”

Drayce nodded his head and was about to verbally respond when he felt something at his feet. Something that seemed to be, well, pecking at his boots. With an expression of confusion, he looked down to see a white feathered chicken pecking at the laces of his right boot. He knew immediately that it wasn’t a monster; it was just an ordinary, egg-laying chicken.

That was something he hadn’t expected to see or encounter.

“Oh!” the guard suddenly uttered in surprise before his tone turned to something akin to a mother scolding a child. “Deloris, stop that. Leave the nice explorers alone.”

Deloris?

The guard leaned forward and scooped the chicken up off the ground, the hen sitting seemly happily in the crook of his arm. “I apologise for Deloris,” he said as a gentle grin appeared on his lips. “My posting is helping with new explorers as they attempt the first mission, but I also raise chickens in my free time.”

“Ah, that’s cool,” Drayce said in earnest as he looked over the guard’s shoulder to see several more chickens of various plumages scratching at ground and pecking seemingly mindlessly into the soil. He felt a frown tug at his lips though as he turned back to the guard. “Is it safe to have them here, though? Wouldn’t want them to become monster food. They’re too cute for that.”

The smile on the guard’s lips grew a little wider, seemingly pleased by the question. “I do worry that, too, but as long as they stay with me I can keep them safe.”

Drayce certainly hoped that the chickens didn’t draw unwanted attention from monsters to the guard. He seemed really nice. Would be terrible if anything should happen to him or his chickens.

“By the way, the name’s Drayce,” he introduced himself before he set about introducing the others with a few jabs of his thumbs. “This is my guild; Blayke, Faelen, Kamali, and Fiorello. We’re of the Angelward Guild.”

The guard smiled and nodded his head to them each in turn. “It’s nice to meet you all,” he said in earnest as he set his hen, rather Deloris, back to the ground at his feet. “Feel free to call me Virgil. As I said before, it is my duty to help new guilds with their first mission. Do you need any advice on creating a map?”

But Drayce shook his head and smiled. “Nah, I have some experience with that part of the mission. Piece of cake. Though I would like to know the best locations to get the sapling and soil samples.”

“I can’t tell you the exact locations, but I can tell you the whereabouts,” Virgil said. “The tree sample, or sapling if you prefer, is found within the centre of the floor, in front of a mighty root. The soil sample is to be taken from the most north-western corner. I’m sure you’ll find them easy to spot.”

“Will it be ok to bring back the same sample as everyone else?” Drayce asked as he scratched his cheek. “Wouldn’t the council benefit from an assortment of different soil samples?”

Virgil looked surprised for a moment before his face smoothed out into a polite expression. “That is true, but taking samples from the same place will serve to prove that you had reached the furthest corner of the floor. Otherwise explorers would take a soil sample here and claim to have travelled deeper.”

Drayce folded his arms across his chest and thought for a moment. “Yeah, ok, that makes sense actually. Never thought of it that way. But I might get a couple of soil samples anyway because I’m fanatic that way.”

Virgil chuckled. “You should focus on gather the mission’s samples first. After that you will be free to do as you wish. Within reason, of course.”

Everything hinges on the completion of the first mission, didn’t it?

Ugh, so many rules.

Drayce nodded his head idly. “One last question before we launch ourselves into the first mission; how much of the floor do we need to map before it’s a passing grade?”

“You don’t necessarily need to mark every nook and cranny on your first map, but seventy-percent should be enough,” Virgil answered before he turned and pointed to a large stone door that was set within the natural foliage. “That doors leads to the stairs to the second floor, but I cannot let you pass through then yet.”

No surprise about that.

Virgil then turned to look to his left and pointed to a path that seemed to wind deeper within. “That way will take you deeper in. If you follow that path westward before south and then east, you will find the place to retrieve the sapling sample. After that, head in a northerly direction until you find another set of doors. After a few winding paths you will find the location for the soil sample.”

Drayce immediately reached into his pocket to pull out a small notepad to physically take notes with and jotted down the directions. He was glad that the guard seemed nice enough to offer him directions rather than a vague idea of where to go. The quicker he got the samples, the sooner he could concentrate on drawing the map. The map drawing part was likely to take the longest, mostly because of how dedicated he was about it.

“Man, thanks,” Drayce said with sincerity as he placed the notepad back into his pocket and smiled at the man before him. “Appreciate the directions. They’ll be a great help.”

Virgil smiled at him in return and Drayce could see that the guard was happy to be of help. He truly seemed to enjoy helping people.

“Anything of note in the area west of the entrance?” Drayce asked as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

“There is a nice fishing spot and a rather peculiar door that no one can open,” Virgil answered as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “And a nice view of path ways located deeper within, but no way to access them I’m afraid.”

Fishing spot and a peculiar door, huh? Interesting. He would take note of those as well and come back later to check them out. They’re located close to the door, it seemed, so was something he could investigate later.

But enough stalling.

“Right, better get out butts into gear then,” Drayce said with a smile as he turned his attention to the east where Virgil had indicated earlier. “Thanks for all the help.”

“Feel free to return to ask me any questions you might have,” Virgil said as he waved them off.

Drayce chuckled as he waved back and herded the others to follow. What a nice guard. He hoped they were all like that.

But more to the point, as Drayce led the others toward a path surrounded by pools of crystal water and twisting trunks of trees and moss cover stones, he realised the significance of where he was. He was finally here. He was finally within the nurturing branches and roots of Yggdrasil…

Tutelary Forest. The first floor. The first step. The start of a new legend. That was what the rumours and gossip spoke of the labyrinth. Of the first floor.

“So what now?” Blayke asking a question pulled Drayce from his musings and quickly reminded him that while their surroundings were incredibly beautiful, they also held peril. And as the guild’s steadfast shield, he couldn’t allow his mind to drift like a cloud. He needed to focus.

“According to Virgil, the sapling is the closest,” Drayce answered as he reached his hand into his coat and pulled out the parchment that was to act as his map. “So makes sense to head there first.”

Faelen shifted to stand next to him. “What else do we need to do?” he asked him, a hint of excitement in his voice, reminding Drayce also that it was the first time for all of his guild.

Drayce smiled down at the rover. “There are three things we need to do; pick a sapling, grab a soil sample, and map the first floor,” he explained.

Blayke huffed grumpily and folded his arms across his armoured chest plate. “As expected, the first mission isn’t exactly easy.”

“No surprise,” Drayce said as he reached into his coat again to pull out a writing utensil and compass. “They want talented explorers, not reckless novices. If you can’t handle the first floor, you certainly won’t handle the second.”

“So what’s the battle plan should we encounter any monsters?”Fiorello was the one to ask as Drayce set about finding north with his compass and made a few notations on the map, specifically the stairs in case they needed to make a quick retreat.

“I’m thinking something along the lines of me using Decoy Bunker and luring monsters’ attention elsewhere while Blayke, Kamali, and Faelen concentrate on attacking, teaming up for Blayke’s chain attacks,” he paused in his drawing for a moment to peer down at the botanist. “Fiorello, I want you to poison the shit out of them when possible.”

“Hm, sounds solid,” Fiorello said in agreement before a cheeky grin appeared on his lips. “Lucky that I packed extra poison this morning.”

Drayce chuckled. “Indeed.”

“What about Nashoba?” Faelen asked when the white-furred wolf made a low grumbling noise in his throat, as if the wolf himself was also a little put-out that Drayce didn’t have any instructions for him.

“He can be up front with me,” Drayce answered. “I’m counting on his nose or ears to alert us to any danger. I’ll take the lead in case of monsters.” He placed away his map momentarily to ensure that his shield was within reach and that his gun, or cannon as many liked to refer to the weapon as, was also holstered and by his side.

“Ready?” he asked as he looked over his guilds, watching as they all nodded their heads in agreement and affirmation. And he smiled. “Let’s get going then.”

… … … … …

They moved together in a group, close together to ensure that none would stray far, but far enough to pull themselves into defensive of offensive positions for battle. And they all walked silently.

Whether from nervousness or excitement, it truly didn’t matter. The silence was needed to ensure that they didn’t miss a sound, to ensure that no monsters snuck up on them. And Drayce appreciated the silence, too, as it allowed him to concentrate on not only his surroundings and any possible danger, but to also keep a mental note of where they were.

As a dragoon it was his duty to use his shield to keep others safe. He was to be on the front line and react as quickly as possible. But he was also in charge of the map. Doing both at the same time was a tad difficult. Thankfully his dad had taught him how to keep a mental note on his bearings. He had a great sense of direction. Almost freakishly so if one asked Blayke about it.

Blayke could complain about his immaculate sense of direction all he wanted; it got them out of a few sticky situations when they were kids.

As they delve deeper into the tall trees and moss covered stones, he was honestly rather surprised about the amount of water that was there. There was a lot more than he had anticipated. He knew of the fresh cool lakes and pools, but he wasn’t expecting to encounter so much water. Especially since the ground beneath their feet wasn’t water laden or soggy in anyway.

They referred to this place as Tutelary Forest, but it felt more like a natural spring. Still beautiful, regardless.

Honestly, though, he just hoped that they didn’t have to swim at some point; with his armour and shield, he would sink like a stone. He was pretty sure Blayke would as well. Not to mention the water would just ruin his gun.

There was something else that was a little peculiar. They had been wandering through the labyrinth for a good hour or so now, taking it easy, and yet hadn’t encountered any monsters. Yeah, that was a little…suspicious to say the least.

He hoped the bastards weren’t planning to ambush them. But maybe it wasn’t the right time of day for them. Nashoba wasn’t edgy or nervous though and Drayce was certain that if there was a threat nearby, the wolf would be able to sense it first.

Still, he told himself to remain on guard. If his inner compass was correct, they were pretty close to where the sapling was to be gathered. Not bad for their first day!

Pushing through a narrow pathway, they step out onto the edge of a large clearing. Three sides of the glade was surrounded with pools and streams of water, while there appear to be two separate pathways leading north, no doubt heading deeper in. But it was the large twisting Yggdrasil root covered in moss and small blue flowers that caught his attention.

He remembered Virgil telling him that the sapling was to be located near a spiralling root. That had to be the place he referred to because he also said that it was within the centre of the floor.

So Drayce immediately led his party through the clearing.

“I take it this is where we get the sapling from?” Blayke stated more so than asked as he pointed to the same place Drayce was studying with his gaze.

“Seems so,” Drayce answered as they all stepped onto a small, narrow pathway with streams of water on both sides. “Only way to find out is to take a sample.”

“Allow me,” Fiorello said as he stepped forward with one hand shuffling around in his bag. “I have the necessary equipment to ensure the longevity of the sapling.”

Drayce nodded his head in acceptance. “Perfect. Well, we’ve managed to complete one-third of the mission. We’ve also been walking around for a couple of hours now. How about a quick break? I want to scribble out the map a little more.”

“Sounds good,” Blayke immediately responded. “But let’s head back to the centre of the clearing. That way we can see our surroundings better.”

Again Drayce nodded and watched as Fiorello delicately plucked a sapling from the water’s edge and placed it into a small vial. “Take good care of that sapling, Fio.”

“Will do,” Fiorello replied with a slight hum in his voice. “I won’t turn it into poison.”

Drayce just laughed as they trekked back to the centre of the clearing and Drayce finally allowed the heavy shield he had been carrying to fall to the ground with a slight thud. He then kicked at the stand with the side of his foot, to allow the bunker-like shield to stand all on its own.

“The water is fresh and clean,” Fiorello said as he unexpectedly pulled out a couple of small tin cups from his bag. “So feel free to drink some.”

“Good,” Blayke murmured as he sat down, too.

Kamali, however, looked as though he was still full of energy as he retrieved the cups from Fiorello. “Would you like something to drink, Drayce? I can retrieve some water for you, if you like.”

Drayce gave the purple-haired warlock a grateful smile. “Man, thanks, appreciate it.”

Kamali returned the smile before he shuffled away a few steps toward a gently flowing stream. He bent down and carefully scooped up the water with the two cups. He quickly returned and handed one of the cups to Drayce, while he handed the other to Blayke who of which looked momentarily surprised, but thanked Kamali kindly all the same as the slender warlock sat on the grass next to him.

Drayce brought the cup to his lips to take a sip of the cool water as he reached into his coat to pull out his map again. As he finished off his much appreciated drink of water he lifted his head up to see that their wolf companion was a few steps away, quickly pawing at the ground in front of him.

“What’s Nashoba sniffing at?” he asked as he set his cup to the ground in front of him.

Faelen immediately pushed himself to his feet and approached his wolf cautiously. But after receiving a small whine from Nashoba, he moved closer and knelt down to look at what his wolf had been scratching at. “There’s a little stone face here,” he unexpectedly said.

“Hm?” Drayce murmured as he leaned forward and squinted a little to look at what Faelen revealed as he pushed back the blades of grass. And, yep, he could see two round eyes and three lines making a mouth on a smooth round stone that appeared to be half buried in the ground. “So there is.”

Blayke looked at their surroundings with an expression of suspicion with an underlying sense of curiosity on his face. “I can actually see a few of them.”

“I do not sense any mana from them,” Kamali commented with a very curious expression also. “They must be simple stone monuments.”

Nashoba unexpectedly perked up, his ears straight atop of his head and was staring intensely in a northerly direction. He was also obviously sniffing the air.

“Nashoba smells something else,” Faelen explained as he trailed behind Nashoba.

“Don’t wander from sight, ok?” Drayce called out.

Uttering a low grunt, Blayke pushed himself to his feet. “I’ll keep an eye on him,” he said.

Kamali tilted his head in curiosity before he turned to look over at Drayce. “Should I go, too?”

“Sure,” Drayce said with a shrug before he plastered a smile on his lips. “Blayke’s an old worry-wart, after all.”

Kamali simply nodded his head and pushed himself to his feet as well, jogging slightly to catch up with Blayke and Faelen. They stayed in a small group within the clearing though and appeared to be talking amongst themselves.

Not choosing to follow, Fiorello settled himself on the grass next to Drayce. “Looks like someone’s having fun,” he commented.

“They’re all good kids,” Drayce said around a chuckle as he turned his attention to his map. But as he began to scribble their location on the map, he found himself wondering about the botanist next him. “Hey, Fio? Can I ask you something?”

Fiorello tilted his head to the side. “Hm?”

“You’ve been in Iorys for a while now, right?” Drayce questioned as he idly drew on his map. “Is this your first time entering the labyrinth?”

Fiorello nodded his head. “Hmm, it is.”

“Didn’t you want to enter before?”

“Never really saw the point,” Fiorello answered honestly as he pressed his hands onto the grass behind him and he leaned back against him. “I’m a healer; I know all about the drawbacks of the labyrinth. Also, many guilds aren’t interested in having a healer until something happens. And after that? A botanist is just a dead weight, but a necessity nonetheless.”

Drayce felt himself wince. “I see. What about Zohar?”

“Ah?” Fiorello unexpectedly chuckled as he looked toward him with a cheeky grin on his lips. “He’s caught your interest?”

Drayce blinked in confusion. “Hah? I’m just curious, that’s all.”

Fiorello, however, continued to give him this cheeky and knowing look. “Is that so?” he said before he released an exasperated yet fond sigh. “Well, Zohar is a special case, I suppose. He has his own reasons for doing things. His own goals to reach. And he prefers to do things alone.”

“Do you know what his goal is?” Drayce found himself asking in genuine interest.

However, the cheeky grin on Fiorello’s lips faded, replaced with a faraway expression on his face. “…Tell me; do you know much of Necromancers?” he unexpectedly asked.

Drayce blinked and tilted his head to the side in question, momentarily forgetting about his map. “About necromancers? Well, not much to be honest. They are able to speak to the dead, command them into battle. And, ah, they’re made not born? Although I don’t know anything more than that. And I’m not sure what that means, exactly.”

“Ah,” Fiorello made a slight clicking noise with his tongue, but he continued to stare forward. “Many necromancers didn’t take the class willingly.”

Drayce slowly put the map down onto his lap. “What do you mean?”

“Necromancers are the end of the line, as it were, especially in regards of learning new class skills,” Fiorello said quietly. “Once you become a necromancer, there is no turning back.”

Drayce felt a knot appear in his stomach and he found himself swallowing thickly. “Are…the rumours true, then? About how the only way to gain control over wraiths and to hear the voices of the dead is to…die also? To pierce the veils between two worlds and never really reside in either?”

Fiorello sighed aloud. “Ah, the joys of rumours.”

“Then, Zohar-?”

“It’s not my place to say any more,” Fiorello interrupted quickly.

Drayce winced and gave the pinkish-red-haired botanist an apologetic look. “Oh, am I being nosy? Sorry, I don’t mean to.”

“Now,” Fiorello said with a click of his tongue. “I know it’s not from maliciousness.”

“Treasure hunters are really nosy,” Drayce said as he turned his attention back to his map. “You gotta tell me if I am. I don’t really see it, you see.”

“You’re fine,” Fiorello said in a dismissive manner before that familiar cheeky grin slipped across his lips. “Though I’m sure others wouldn’t hesitate to tell you, hm?”

Drayce nodded his head idly. “Mind your own damn business. I get that one a lot.”

Fiorello chuckled before he paused, seemingly contemplating something, letting it mull about in his minds for a few moments. “Listen,” he finally said. “Try to befriend Zohar, would you? Give him…another goal to focus on. He needs a distraction, if you will.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in confusion, but curiosity as well. “Ah, ok?”

Before he could ask Fiorello anymore questions, he found himself sitting up straight and looking at their surroundings. He thankfully immediately saw that his three other guildmates were still huddled together within sight, so it wasn’t them that caught his attention. No, it was something else.

He thought he heard something. There was a sudden and tellingly foreign noise. Like that of someone uttering an involuntary yell of fright and pain. It was faint, but Drayce was more than certain he heard something.

“What was that?” he murmured.

“Drayce!” Faelen suddenly called out to him with a hint of concern in his voice. “That was a voice. I heard someone shouting!”

So he wasn’t the only one who heard it. Damn.

“Where?” Drayce asked as he shoved the map back into his coat and hefted his shield with one arm.

Faelen pointed to the north, across the grassy field and toward where the path seemed to divert in a couple of direction. “Nashoba will lead us.”

Drayce nodded his head as his grip tightened on his shield. Someone was very clearly in trouble. How much, he didn’t know. And honestly it didn’t matter. He couldn’t turn his back on someone like that.

“Good,” Drayce said as he reached round for his weapon with his right hand. “I’ll be right behind him. Everyone else, behind me.”

“Right!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Australia Day for all my Aussie readers! Finally getting to some action in this chapter and a new character is briefly introduced, but information about him won’t be until the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

Drayce followed Nashoba closely as the white wolf led him through the clearing and toward a path that seemed to snake further north into the labyrinth. He gritted his teeth as he prepared for the situation he may be running into. He knew that someone was in trouble or at least terrified. It was common courtesy amongst explorers not to scream out unless they legitimately feared for their life, feared for someone else’s life, or was in general deep shit.

And the cry he heard, though weak, told him that they were heading toward a dangerous situation.

Rounding a tight, blind corner, Drayce heard Nashoba utter a warning growl and he momentarily stumbled to a halt when something appeared on the ground in front of him. It took him a second to realise that something was a person. A Therian.

And the Therian with red-hair was laid sprawled face down on the ground. A male Masurao by appearance. He also appeared to be unmoving. Unconscious.

God please let him just be unconscious.

Drayce’s attention was soon drawn to something else that was red. A four legged creature with red fur and glistening canines. That was all he could see as it seemed to be making a beeline toward the fallen Therian as well.

The specifics of what that monster was or what had happened to the Therian would be worked out later. Right now he had to stop that thing from attacking and there was only one way he knew to do that. And he needed to get to him before that four-legged monstrosity did.

Without a second to waste, Drayce sprung forward and bypassed the Therian to instead plant himself in the monster’s line of sight and in its direct path. With his shield between him and the four-legged brute, he gritted his teeth in anticipating of the impact.

And the monster hit his shield hard. Harder than he expected and he felt himself stagger back a couple of steps, almost stepping on the very Therian he was trying to protect.

Pushing back his own alarm, he peered over the top of his shield and grimaced when a pair of beady black eyes looked back at him.

Typical. The first monster they encountered had to be the notorious big-mouthed Wild Dog.

“Drayce!” Blayke called out to him, his voice filled with obvious alarm.

“Get him to safety!” Drayce ordered over his shoulder as he tightened his grip on his shield, pushing back against the monster as much as his strength allowed him. “Then get ready for battle! This thing won’t be scared off!”

He received an uncertain reply in return. But even though Drayce’s attention was focused on ensuring that his shield stayed between him and the gapping jaws of the Wild Dog, he could sense that his guildmates were assembling themselves in some manner. He didn’t need to see them to know that they were ensuring that they themselves stayed out of danger while getting the Therian to safety.

Putting his shoulder into the shield and digging his heels into the ground, Drayce closed his eyes as he concentrated on calling out a Decoy Shield. He aimed for the space just a little behind the Wild Dog, hoping that the agitating qualities of the bunker would cause the monster to turn its full attention on it rather than against Drayce’s shield.

And thankfully it did. The second the Decoy Bunker came into physical form, the Wild Dog whirled wildly around to face it. With a snort and a growl it launched forward with incredible speed and slammed its head directly in the centre of the shield of the bunker.

Drayce felt the bunker buckle under the impact and he knew that it wouldn’t last a second hit. A hit that the monster was about to deliver.

Shit. He needed to call for another one!

“D-Drayce!” Came Faelen’s shaky voice.

“Don’t panic!” Drayce found himself shouting as he repositioned himself. “Remember the game plan; Blayke, attack when it’s not looking in combination with your chain skills! Faelen, Kamali, use your long-ranged skills to help him! Nashoba, don’t let this bastard near anyone! Fiorello, look after the Therian. We’ve got this!”

Though he receives a chorus of replies that were uncertain and even afraid, he trusted that Blayke and the others of his guild would know what to do. And that they would work together to get things done.

So all he had to do was ensure that the Wild Dog didn’t get even ten feet of any of them.

Before he could call for another bunker, the Wild Dog unexpectedly whirled around toward him and rammed its enormous, bulky head against the very centre of Drayce’s shield. He felt himself reel back at the impact, the corner of the shield striking the side of his face.

But he stayed on his feet and ignored the slight stinging sensation against his cheek as he summoned another decoy. The second that came into form, the Wild Dog once more whirled around to face it. This time it uttered a guttural, primal growl of rage as he raced toward it.

Better keep those Decoy Bunkers coming!

This red-furred bastard sure was a strong one!

“Drayce!” Blayke called out in alarm again.

“Stop worrying about me!” Drayce shouted back as he concentrated on summoning another Decoy Bunker. “Just focus on attacking it at a safe distance! I’ll keep its attention on me!”

With a low grunt of exertion, Drayce summoned a Decoy Bunker the second the Wild Dog destroyed another one. It soon whipped its head around to glare at the newly summoned bunker. With yet another fearsome roar it charged toward the decoy once more, completely forgetting about him.

Uttering a low curse under his breath, Drayce concentrated on calling forth another one. It was starting to get taxing. He wasn’t sure how many more he could summon without getting mental fatigue. No, it didn’t matter. He would summon as many that was needed. If he couldn’t call for anymore, he would just use his own shield.

He told himself it would be fine and just concentrate on keeping the monster preoccupied and away from the other. He had absolute faith that his teammates would do what was needed when it was needed.

He could see glimpses of Blayke as he darted forward in tandem with Kamali’s fire spells and Faelen’s arrows. He could see Nashoba dart around the monster, seemingly purposely coming at it from its blind spots before darting back with grace and agility that only a wolf such as Nashoba could possess.

The Wild Dog’s movements were starting to slow, the constant attacks and exertion of attacking the bunkers weakening it. But its actions were still very frantic. That could only mean that it knew it was losing this battle. Just a little bit more.

They’ve got this!

Drayce quickly manoeuvred his shield in front of him, kicking out the stand as he reached for his gun. He hunkered down behind it as levelled his gun at the red-furred beast as it destroyed his last decoy. As the bunker disappeared in a puff of smoke, Drayce held his breath and narrowed his eyes.

One last time. He just needed to gain its attention one more time.

He squeezed the trigger.

The bullet struck the side of the Wild Dog’s head. Immediately, it whipped around to face him, its beady black eyes narrowing in on him. Blood and drool dripped from its oversized mouth, of which it opened on another bone-rattling roar. Its muscles tensed as its body turned, ready to launch in Drayce’s direction.

But before it could move another inch Blayke appeared in its blind spot. With his face creased into a look of determination and concentration, he took his blade and pierced the back of the monster’s head.

Surprisingly, the Wild Dog didn’t utter a sound. Its head simply tilted to the side before its whole body slumped unnaturally to the ground, almost taking Blayke along with it.

Blayke huffed as he sluggishly hefted his sword out of the monster’s head, a disgusted expression appearing on his face from the sticky, sloppy sound the movement made. He then staggered back, still panting, as he stared cautiously as the Wild Dog.

The Wild Dog, however, didn’t move. There was no fight left in it. Possibly no life either.

Drayce felt his adrenaline abruptly fade and his shoulders sagged in exhaustion. He slumped to the ground before falling back to sit down with a ‘flump’ noise. He placed his hands on the ground a little behind him as he leaned back and tilted his head back to look up at the sky as he panted softly.

Well…that was an unexpected experience.

For their first battle it was a hard one. But everyone was alive and no one had been hurt, so it was definitely a successful experience!

“Drayce?” Blayke’s voice caused Drayce to lower his gaze from the sky and look forward once more, to find his friend standing before him, still slightly breathless as he looked at him in concern. “You all right?”

Drayce grinned tiredly at him. “Never better. Totally knew we could pull it off. Awesome footwork, by the way.”

Blayke nodded his head idly as he kept his blood covered sword hanging loosely by his side. “Those bunkers are useful, holy shit.”

“No kidding,” Drayce chuckled.

He rolled his head to the side when he heard the slight patter of feet on the grass and saw that Nashoba had made his way over to him. He then uttered a low whimper sound before he pushed forward to lick at his cheek, the one that Drayce had injured earlier.

Drayce chuckled tiredly as he reached out a hand to gently pet the wolf in return. “Great job,” he said quietly.

A pair of arms suddenly encircled his neck from behind him and a weight rested against his back. Slightly startled, he turned to look to his left to see a mop of bluish-purple hair. Though still surprised, he recognised Faelen immediately and reached up to pat him on the head as well.

“You did great, too,” he said.

Faelen nodded his head but Drayce could feel that he was still somewhat shaky, most likely from the adrenaline from the battle still coursing through him. “That was…scarier than I thought it would be.”

It really was a shame that the first monster they faced was a violent Wild Dog. Would have been better if they met a Rabid Acorn or two in order to ease themselves into battle. Talk about jumping into the deep end.

Still, it could have been worse. There could have been two of the rowdy bastards.

“Drayce.”

Fiorello calling his name in a serious tone caused Drayce to abruptly remember the reason why they were thrown into battle against the Wild Dog in the first place. Also as if just realising, Faelen removed his arms from Drayce’s neck to allow him to turn around to look in the botanist’s direction.

The redheaded Therian was resting in a semi-sitting position at the base of a tree. His head was lolled to the side with his chin reaching his shoulder. His light-brown skin was marred with several bruises and scrapes, as well as dirty patches. His red hair, seemingly quite fluffy normally, was matted in several places and one of his canine ears fell limply against his head while the other remained straight.

In short, he didn’t look too good.

Fiorello stood to one side of him with his bag and many of its contents on the ground before him while Kamali knelt on the other side of the patient. Kamali wore an expression of concern on his face as he looked at the unknown Therian, while Fiorello looked particular displeased about something.

Forcing himself to his feet, Drayce snared his shield and gun before he made his way over to them. “How is he?”

“Alive,” Fiorello replied as he folded his arms across his chest. “Lacerations and bruises. No broken bones or internal injuries, thankfully. However, there were other signs of abuse.”

“Abuse?” Drayce muttered with a deep frown. “What do you mean?”

Fiorello looked at him with a terse and serious expression. “His hands were tied together,” he unexpectedly said.

Drayce’s eyebrows immediately reached up toward his hairline as his mouth dropped open in surprise. “His hands were tied?” he repeated. “What-? Who-?”

Fiorello shook his head. “Obviously, I don’t know. And I obviously don’t like it.”

Drayce glanced down at the Therian’s wrists and noted that they appeared red raw and bruised as well. He didn’t have any armour and there was no weapon to be seen. Clearly something untoward had happened to him and he either managed to escape his captor’s clutches or was dumped in the labyrinth with the goal of him being taken care of by a monster or two.

If Drayce and the others hadn’t arrived when they did, he could very well have been killed.

What kind of bastard would do something like this?

“I sense something,” Kamali suddenly said with a tone of confusion. “Mana. I think it’s coming from him.”

Mana? Was this guy carrying something on him? Or was it rather him and the reason for the restraints? The mana may even be the reason why that Wild Dog was chasing him.

There was a lot of questions that needed answers, but right now their main priority was ensuring the Therian’s safety and to get him out for further healing. Now, what would be the best way to do just that?

A soft, almost inaudible groan caused Drayce to immediately turn his full attention on the Therian once more. Setting his shield to the side, he crouched down in front of wolf-eared Therian as he began to stir.

Instead of sitting upright in a panic, he murmured something incoherent and tried to open his eyes. But he couldn’t open them all the way. He managed no more than to peer through his lashes. A sliver of green could be seen, but no more than that. Almost as if he couldn’t open them any further. Obviously he was exhausted, not just fatigued from the injuries.

“Hey, you’re ok now,” Drayce said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be safe with us, I promise. Whoever did this to you certainly won’t do it again.”

The Therian stared at him for a few more moments before he uttered a sigh and Drayce could see the whites of his eyes for a second before he slumped forward. Alarmed, Drayce immediately reached out to catch and steady him. “Fiorello?” he immediately asked for the botanist.

“He just fainted,” Fiorello immediately replied. “He’s in no danger of dying, but I want to get him back to that clinic of yours as quickly as possible.”

Right.

Drayce took one of the Therian’s arms and slung it over his neck. “Blayke, take his other arm.”

Sheathing his sword back to his side, Blayke wordlessly took the Therian’s other arm and with a big of teamwork, they both stood with their new patient slumped between them. He was out cold, so getting him through the labyrinth and back to the entrance wasn’t going to be easy.

Damn, and the monsters are likely interested in the scent of blood.

With the Therian balanced on his shoulder, Drayce shoved his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the map with the compass folded within it. He then shoved in in Faelen’s direction. “I need you and Nashoba to lead us out of here.”

Faelen looked stunned, his mouth dropping open. But then he looked uneasy. “A-are you sure?” he asked.

“You’ll do fine,” Drayce replied immediately. “Use the compass. The way to the entrance should be east from the clearing and following a single path south through and archway, after that it’s west to where Virgil is, and after that, south once more to the entrance. It’ll be a clear path, don’t worry. We’ll be right behind you.”

Faelen still looked uneasy, but he retrieved the map and compass from him with a deep, but shaky breath. “Ok,” he uttered. “Don’t stray too far behind me, ok?”

Drayce gave him a reassuring smile. “As I said; we’ll be right behind you.”

That seemed to offer Faelen some reassurance and he gave him a slight smile in return. He then pressed his lips together as a look of concentration appeared on his face and unfolded the map, grabbing the compass tightly.

“Orientate yourself by finding north first,” Drayce instructed as he readjusted his grip on the Therian’s arm and waist. “After that, do a one-eighty and head south. Kamali, Fiorello, stick close to him and offer your support. Blayke and I will focus all our attention on getting this guy to safety.”

“Of course,” Kamali immediately replied.

“You got it,” Fiorello also affirmed as he hastily placed the empty medicine bottles into his bag.

Drayce tightened his grip on the Therian and clenched his jaw. “Ready, Blayke?” he asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Blayke replied. “The quicker we get out of here, the better.”

“Agreed.”

Ignoring his own aches and pains that were starting to set in due to the sudden drop in adrenaline levels, Drayce focused on simply walking in step with Blayke as fast as he could as they carried the limp and heavy Therian on their shoulders. Every now and again he could hear the Therian utter soft moans of pain and he felt the need to utter an apology for each time he unwittingly stumbled or jarred him in some way. But he kept quiet, instead focusing on the path in front of him and his inner mantra to simply get to the stairs and get out of here.

As they pass through a naturally formed archway created by a twisting tree, Drayce felt a small sense of relief when he looked up to see a familiar guard standing a few yards away with a flurry of chickens at his feet.

Virgil. Good. They were almost to the stairs.

Virgil idly glanced in their direction before he did a double take and his mouth dropped open in surprise. “Oh,” was all he managed to utter as Drayce and Blayke dragged the unconscious Therian toward him.

“Hey,” Drayce greeted with a half-hearted smile. “Saved him from a Wild Dog. Do you recognise him?”

With a frown on his lips, Virgil shook his head. “I’m sorry; I don’t recognise him at all. Perhaps he entered during the night shift? I only work during the day here because of my chickens. They like to head in to sleep when the sun sets, you see.”

Drayce was a little disappointed by the answer, but also felt assured that if the Therian had been dragged in against his will, someone would have put a stop to it. But he was also worried that the bastards who did do this to him were still loitering about. If they were heartless enough to bound someone and drag them into the labyrinth, they may also be volatile enough to attack a guard. And he didn’t want anything to happen to Virgil also.

“I don’t know his story, but be extra vigilant just in case, yeah?” Drayce said to him. “We’ll take care of this guy, don’t worry.”

“Request the guards from the city to help you,” Virgil immediately said. “They’ll take him to the inn where he can recuperate.”

Drayce shook his head. He didn’t know the guy, sure, but he knew he was in some kind of trouble. And honestly just dumping him at the inn and making him someone else’s problem didn’t sit right with him at all.

No, he wanted to keep an eye on him himself.

“The Crescentia,” Drayce said. “We need to take him there instead.”

Virgil looked mildly surprised as he tilted his head to the side. He had a curious look on his face, but didn’t ask him any questions. Instead he straightened his posture and nodded his head. “The guards shall help you take him wherever you like.”

Ok, good. Carrying his shield, gun, and an unconscious Therian was starting to take its toll on him. He’ll think about that later. First, he needed to get everyone out of this place.

This was _not_ how he envisioned his first trek into the labyrinth would be…


	11. Chapter 11

Drayce tried to get himself comfortable in his seat pulled close to the foot of the bed the Therian they rescued in the labyrinth was lying in. His lower back ached a little. No surprised really. He hadn’t anticipated his first monster battle to be against the monster known locally as Wild Dog. Those things were as dangerous as they were mouthy.

He ignored the subtle aches and pains though, more worried about the one they had rescued.

After assuring that he was in a stable condition, they moved him from the clinic and into one of the many bedrooms so that he would be more comfortable. He still hadn’t awoken yet. Been unconscious the entire time. It was a little alarming, but Fiorello insisted that he wasn’t in any danger. He was just exhausted and the fact that he was unconscious was surprisingly a good thing. It would help him to recover quicker.

He was admitted worried about who he was and why he had been restrained the way he was. How did he come to be in the labyrinth and who had brought him there against his will. He was also undeniably curious as to what kind of mana Kamali had detected from him.

The Therian didn’t seem to be carrying anything that held mana. It seemed to be coming from him. More specifically his back.

They didn’t find anything though. They had to inspect his back for injuries but there didn’t appear to be anything there. Kamali insisted that he can sense mana from him, powerful mana at that. Even his brother Shashi claimed that there was mana “seeping” from him. Perhaps that was the reason he was forced into the labyrinth?

There was really no other choice but to wait for him to wake up and hopefully clear things up for them. Drayce had a lot of questions, though.

Still, the main thing was that the Therian was safe with them. Whoever forced him into the labyrinth against his will won’t get to him here. He’ll make sure of it.

On the topic of looking after others, Drayce made the mental note to check in on Faelen later. Maybe tonight? Or should he check in on him now? What happened today was more likely than not his first experience with a monster battle. And to think they had the misfortune to encounter an angry Wild Dog.

The sound of the door opening caused Drayce to turn around in his chair. He gave Ashton a small smile as the green-haired man stepped into the room with a steamy beverage in his hand.

“Here,” Ashton said as he presented the drink to Drayce. “Should help with the minor aches and strains of entering into an impromptu battle.”

“Thanks,” Drayce said as he received the drink from him and rested it on his knee for the moment. He was sure that the aches he was experiencing was simply because he hadn’t really engaged in a heated battle like that before.

They would lessen over time, hopefully.

Ashton folded his arms over his chest as he looked over at their unconscious house guest before turning his gaze back toward Drayce. “You had quite the unusual first day in the labyrinth,” he unexpectedly commented.

A half grin appeared on Drayce’s lips. “Tell me about it. But, hey, treasure hunters don't do conventional, right?”

“Very true,” Ashton replied idly before he arched an eyebrow at him. “But I do hope that carrying unconscious strangers into the guildhouse won’t become a common theme with you.”

Despite himself, Drayce laughed. He certainly hoped so too!

“I couldn’t just leave him, you know?” Drayce said as he lifted the drink from his knee and took a sip.

“I know you couldn’t,” Ashton replied, his tone unexpectedly serious. “That’s why I’m worried.”

Drayce pulled his drink away from his lips as he turned to look up at Ashton with a surprised and confused expression. He was about to ask him what he meant, about how helping someone could be causing him to worry about him when a soft groan caused him to immediately tear his gaze away from Ashton and to look over at the bed.

The red-haired Therian groaned as he began to move under the blankets. He rolled over onto his side and pressed his face into the pillow as if it was extremely difficult to wake up and move. However, a second later he sat up straight in alarm, his eyes wide but hazy nonetheless as he glanced skittishly at his surroundings.

His reaction was completely understandable and honestly Drayce had expected as much.

“Hey, easy!” he still called out to him in a comforting tone, setting his drink Ashton gave him aside and leaned his hands against the foot of the bed. “You’re safe now. It’s ok.”

The Therian immediately jerk his attention toward him, his eyes wide and his ears straight up and alert amongst his fluffy red hair. He then unexpectedly stilled as his eyes narrowed at him, squinting. “W-wait,” he croaked out, his voice hoarse. “You’re…the dragoon from the labyrinth.”

Drayce was somewhat surprised by the reaction, even more so when the Therian unexpectedly calmed down, no longer tugging desperately at the bedsheets in a fumbling attempt to push them off of him.

“That’s right,” Drayce replied with a smile. “You recognise me?”

Still gazing blearily at him in a bewildered fashion, the Therian nodded his head. “Y-yeah.”

Drayce deduced that he must have been awake when he appeared and stood in front of him to stop that Wild Dog from charging and attacking. Or he could have awoken when Fiorello was healing him and had seen part of the battle itself.

“Ah, that’s good. I’m relieved,” Drayce said as he pushed up from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed, noting that the Therian didn’t react negatively to this. “Never mind that, how are you feeling? You’ve been asleep for a few hours now.”

“Oh, I…I’m all right,” he replied, though he still sounded bewildered.

Drayce just nodded his head and continued to appear friendly so not to frighten him. “What’s your name?”

The Therian crinkled his nose for a second, almost debating whether or not to answer but he sighed a moment later and looked at him tiredly. “Ah, it’s Caelem.”

“The name’s Drayce,” Drayce replied and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “And this is Ashton.”

Next to him, though appearing somewhat cautious, Ashton gave Caelem a friendly nod. “Good to see you’re awake. Fancy anything to eat or drink?”

“N-no, I’m fine, thank you,” Caelem answered politely before he glanced around the room, not as suspicious as before but rather curious. “Where…am I?”

“You’re at my guildhouse, the Crescentia,” Drayce answered with a wide grin. “I inherited from my grandfather who’s gone on yet another treasure hunt. So my old dad, so this place is all mine.”

“Oh…” Caelem murmured as he continued to look around. However a moment later he turned his attention back to Drayce, tilting his head to the side while his ears twitched curiously. “Are you a treasure hunter also?”

Although he knew Blayke wouldn’t approve and Ashton seemed to cough under his breath, Drayce decided to be honest and upfront. “Yep. And an archaeologist. Come from a long line of them.”

Caelem’s ears twitched again before they folded flat against his head and he turned his eyes downwards toward the bed, looking unquestionably meek. “Maybe…you can help…” he murmured.

Help?

“Yeah, maybe I can,” Drayce stated, causing Caelem to lift his gaze up to look at him again with a flicker of surprise and apprehension in his green eyes. “But I need you to tell me how. Tell me anything you think might be significant.”

Caelem pressed his lips together tightly as his hands clenched around the hem of the bedsheet on his lap. “…I…”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Caelem continued to fidget.

He was nervous and scared. After the trauma he had been through it was completely understandable. The first thing Drayce needed to do was to make him feel safe. Questions about what happened to him and how he and his guild can help would have to wait until later. How much later didn’t matter.

“You’re nervous, I understand,” Drayce said as he offered him a smile. “But what happened today, what happened to you, won’t happen again.”

Seemingly startled, Caelem shifted his gaze quickly back toward him, his brow furrowed slightly. As if finding it hard to understand his compassion or something akin to that.

“Would you like to meet my guildmates?” Drayce asked instead as he motioned to the partly open bedroom door with a tilt of his head, subtly telling him that while he’s more than welcome to stay, he’s also allowed to leave if wanted. “They’ve been worried about you, too.”

Caelem glanced over toward the door briefly and the tension in his shoulders seemed to dissipate. “There…were others, weren’t there?” he questioned, his brow furrowing again as he tried to remember. “You all… protected me.”

Drayce was honestly relieved that he had some memory of the battle. He didn’t have to just rely on his words. He saw for himself that he wasn’t going to hurt him.

“That’s right,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet and held out a hand toward Caelem. “Can you move? They’re waiting down stairs, if you like.”

Caelem sat silently as he looked at Drayce’s outstretched hand, his brow still furrowed in sheer confusion. He lifted his hand, hesitated for a moment, before grabbing Drayce’s hand and allowing him to help him up and out of bed.

Though he uttered a few soft sounds of discomfort, Caelem was able to move surprisingly easy, standing on his feet without the need of aid. He had white bandages around his wrists and sporadically over his arms and visible skin, but there were no internal damage and nothing was broken, thankfully.

As Drayce led a still nervous Caelem through the door he heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs. He looked over to watch as Faelen hurried over to him, his wolf companion at his heels as always.

“Drayce! Is he awake yet?” he asked the second he was close enough.

Drayce smiled as he took a step to the side to reveal the red-haired standing behind him. “Yep. Up and about, too.”

Faelen appeared surprised for a moment but a bright smile soon appeared on his lips and he looked both relieved and happy to see that their guest and the one they had virtually rescued was all right. “Ah!”

“Faelen, this is Caelem,” Drayce introduced as he placed a hand atop of Faelen’s head to ruffle his hair slight. “Caelem, this is Faelen, my guildmate. And Nashoba, of course.”

“Hi!” Faelen greeted cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”

Caelem blinked in surprise before he nodded his head slightly. “O-oh, I feel all right now.”

Faelen’s expression brightened and he looked genuinely relieved. “That’s good.”

“It certainly is,” Drayce said as he ruffled the rover’s hair one more time before dropping his arm to his side. “Where is everyone?”

“Sitting in front of the fire place,” Faelen replied as he glanced over his shoulder toward the stairs. “Kamali has started a fire.”

Very good.

“Come on, Cal,” Drayce encouraged as he motioned toward the stairs with a tilt of his head. “I want you to introduce you to the others.”

Caelem looked a little apprehensive, but Faelen smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t be nervous,” he said. “Drayce helped me, too. He’s a good guy. Don’t worry, ok?”

Caelem looked at Faelen for a silent moment before he nodded his head in acceptance and understanding. “Alright,” he said, indeed less nervous than before.

Although Caelem still had a few injuries and had to rely on the banister to walk down the stairs, he still managed to do so without needing any other type of support. He took the stairs surprisingly easily as he glanced curiously at his surroundings once more. Though he didn’t say anything, Drayce knew he was surprised by how large the guildhouse appeared to be.

“This way,” Drayce motioned to the tearoom when Caelem reached the bottom step.

As soon as they stepped through the archway leading to the tearoom, all the occupants, who were scatted in numerous places, stopped what they were doing to glance over at them. And they were genuinely surprised to see that Caelem was up and about. They, however, were also relieved.

“Ah, so out guest is awake?” Fiorello questioned on his seat near the fireplace, closing the book he had been reading and placing it on his lap.

Standing next to his brother, who was sat on a two seater couch with Blayke next to him, Kamali looked at Caelem and a small thankful smile appeared on his lips. “You were asleep for a while. How are you feeling?”

Caelem shuffled nervously on his feet as he looked skittishly at everyone in the room. A flash of recognition appeared in his eyes and he grew slightly tense, his ears standing straight up. “You’re…you were also there, weren’t you?” he muttered before a dark flush spread across his cheeks and he suddenly bowed forward at the waist, his hands on his knees. “Ah, thank you! I-I’m sorry for the trouble I caused!”

Drayce was startled by his reaction before he chuckled and lightly patted him on the shoulder, motioning for him to stand up. “Hey, no need to be so formal,” he said when Caelem pulled himself back to his full height and looked at him, his face still lightly flushed. “Let me introduce everyone; Blayke, Fiorello, Kamali and his brother Shashi. We’re the Angelward Guild. Guys, this is Caelem.”

The fierce blush returned to Caelem’s cheeks when everyone greeted him warmly. He was once again startled by the cheerful and friendly reception.

“Come on, take a seat,” Drayce said as he took Caelem by the elbow in a light grip and led him over to another chair that was positioned near the fire place. “I bet you’re still a little sore, huh?”

Hoping off of his chair, Fiorello reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled out a glass bottle. “Here, try drinking this,” he said as he handed it to Caelem. “It should help with the aches and strains.”

“Ah, thank you,” Caelem said as he retrieved the bottle from Fiorello. He held it in-between his hands though, rolling it nervously between his palms as he glanced up at Drayce, his expression deeply apologetic. “I’m…really am sorry for the trouble I caused. You put yourself in danger because of me.”

“Actually,” Blayke spoke up from his seat next to Shashi, his arms folded across his chest and that familiar protective scowl on his face. “The ones who were responsible for the restraints around your wrists are the ones to blame.”

Caelem winced while Drayce shot Blayke a slight glare, only to receive an indifferent shrug from him. While what he said was true, he could have been a little more…considerate? Yeah, that sounded about right.

“…Yeah,” Caelem murmured as he glanced over at the fire place.

Drayce was about to ask him if he was sure he didn’t want anything to eat when Caelem suddenly turned to look up at him, his expression apprehensive but with a glimmer of hopefulness in his eyes.

“You said you wanted to help me,” Caelem suddenly said. “Did you mean it?”

“Yeah, of course,” Drayce immediately replied. “I want to help anyone in trouble. That’s what I do. That’s what my family does. And what this guild will do.”

Caelem continued to look up at him for a few silent moments, his green eyes searching him carefully. He then drew in a slow, deep breath and held it for a second. “…Ok,” he unexpectedly said as he breathed out. “I don’t want to cause you more trouble, but…I understand. I’ll tell you everything.”

Drayce was a little surprised that he seemed to trust them so quickly, but he was glad nonetheless. He had to admit that he was also worried, though. He couldn’t help but notice a light sense of desperation in his voice as well.

“Why don’t you start with where you are the most comfortable,” Drayce said as he pulled up a chair to form a semi-circle around Caelem, giving him their undivided attention.

Caelem pressed his lips together tightly as he continued to roll the medicine bottle between his hands. “There’s something on my back. I don’t know what, but I can feel something there.”

Far from startled by the revelation, Kamali nodded his head. “I can detect mana originating from your back. Is that what you mean?”

Caelem glanced over at Kamali and nodded as well. “It’s a spell of some kind, that’s all I know.”

Drayce furrowed his brow slightly. “Where did you get it? How did you?”

“It wasn’t by choice,” Caelem replied as he ears drooped slightly and he turned his gaze down at the floor in front of him. “And how it ended up there, I don’t know. Someone else placed it there. It happened several years ago and I’ve been, well, carrying it around ever since. They just…grabbed me. I can’t remember. I just woke up one day with this thing on my back.”

Caelem’s eyes unexpectedly turn downcast and sad. “I think I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Drayce felt a bubble of protectiveness appear in his chest. “Do you remember who did this to you?”

Caelem just shook his head. “Only that he was a necromancer. I guess…he didn’t want to deal with the spell himself anymore.”

That was hardly a valid excuse!

“What about the ones that took you into the labyrinth?” Blayke asked, having moved away from the back of the seat to lean forward with his elbows on his knees. “Do you know anything about them?”

Once more, Caelem shook his head no, this time there was obvious frustration in his actions. “They referred to themselves something similar to bandits, I think.”

Drayce bristled. “Bandits, huh?”

Ugh. He didn’t like bandits. They gave treasure hunters a bad reputation. They were nothing more than cocky, loathsome thieves.

Caelem sighed aloud as his hand snaked up to touch the back of his neck, his gaze pensive. “I…wanted to get this thing off my back and they approached me a few days ago. A necromancer said they could remove it. I guess I was too desperate to realise they were tricking me.”

So they took advantage of him, too? Damn, those bastards need to have their asses kicked, pronto!

“Do you know what is etched upon your back?” Shashi asked.

“No. I only remember the necromancer who forced the spell on me muttering a few things. A treasure of some kind, I think,” Caelem replied before he fell silent for a moment, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Ah, a Radiant Moon?”

“Radiant Moon?” Drayce repeated as he felt his own brow crease pensively. “I’ve…heard of that, I think.”

Shashi held his chin as he folded an arm across his chest. “As have I. The words radiant moon, at least.”

Drayce sighed as he ran a hand through his red hair. “Yeah, there’s a crap-tonne of references to the moon, isn’t there? Still, it seems vaguely familiar.”

He couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with a sceptre. A staff of some kind. He was pretty sure it wasn’t used for battle though, but he wasn’t certain. Gah, he had heard the words “Radiant Moon” somewhere before, but where?

“I have a question,” Fiorello suddenly piped up, pulling Drayce from his thoughts. “Because Kamali detected mana from you and because of your injuries, we also inspected you back. Yet there wasn’t anything we could see with the naked eye. Do you know why?”

“It’s supposedly invisible,” Caelem explained with a skittish shrug of his shoulder. “I don’t know. Something about under the light of a certain gemstone the words will be revealed.”

Huh, he had heard that somewhere before, too…

Shashi sat up straight in his seat. “Do you know which gemstone?”

Again, Caelem simply shook his head as he kept his gaze to the ground, defeated and tired. No doubt also frustrated. There was so much he didn’t know. So much was seemingly taking out of his hands and kept from him. It was completely unfair. To literally carry this burden around and know very little about it.

“There’s a couple of mining spots on the first floor,” Ashton said as he leaned against the back of the couch, right behind Shashi, and rested against his forearms. “So the stone had to have originated from there, right?”

Sounded reasonable and honestly a good place to start. “We should go do some mining then,” Drayce muttered.

“Wait…” Caelem started to say something, but seemed to hesitate.

“What is it?” Drayce urged.

Caelem sighed again as he rubbed the back of his neck, once again appearing hesitant. “I…I don’t know what the words say, but I…my back hurts when I approached a certain corner of the labyrinth.”

Drayce blinked. “Which corner?”

“I don’t know,” Caelem murmured before as a flicker of bitterness and fear appeared in his eyes for a moment. “I wasn’t…made aware of the map.”

Drayce felt his protectiveness grow. “I see,” he muttered under his breath again before he drew in a deep breath and held his chin in through. “Probably the north-west corner. That’s where I suspected you ran from.”

“I couldn’t get very far,” Caelem said as he dropped his hand listlessly to his lap.

“The pain too much?”

This time Caelem nodded his head. “Yeah. I honestly don’t remember much or where I was. It…hurt a lot and I just ran. Probably not a smart thing.”

Drayce was so thankful that he and his guild where at the right place, at the right time and were able and willing to help. He didn’t want to think of what could have happened if they hesitated for even a second.

Ok, so what should they do about this little predicament?

He needed to consider their options carefully. There was a spell on Caelem’s back. How or why, he didn’t know, but something needed to be done. The bandits that kidnapped him believed it led to something important, and in some way it had to be.

But Drayce wasn’t as inconsiderate as those bandits. He wasn’t going to rush into this. He needed to consider all options, even the seemingly implausible ones. Rushing to conclusion mean ignoring other potentially better options.

“I guess I could lead you to it,” Caelem offered, though with a sense of apprehension in his voice. “As far as I can at least.”

“No,” Drayce said firmly, interrupting him.

“Huh?”

“No,” Drayce said again as he looked directly at Caelem. “I’m not willing to do that. I won’t go after a treasure that puts others at risk. I refuse to do that.”

Caelem’s mouth dropped open in surprise and a surprising silence fell over the room.

However, Drayce just sighed and ran a somewhat frustrated hand through his hair as he turned to Shashi. “Isn’t there a way to remove this _thing_ and transfer it onto something else?” he asked him. “Like a compass or pendulum or something. Hell, a scrap of paper even?”

Shashi blinked silently at him before a contemplative expression slipped across his face and his eyes held a faraway look to them. “Hmm, that might be possible,” he said after a moment of silence. “If one was trained in such a thing.”

Fiorello unexpectedly smiled widely. “I know someone.”

Drayce glanced over at the botanist. “Is it Zohar?”

Fiorello’s smiled seemed to turn decidedly knowing and cheeky. “Righto,” he said before he sighed dramatically. “The key, however, is finding him. He’s such a wanderer after all.”

“Do you know of any place he frequents?” Drayce asked, surprisingly eagerly.

“Not really,” Fiorello said as he folded his arms across his chest. “Other than my apartment in town.”

Drayce felt a frown tug at his lips. “But…” he stopped himself from saying anything and shook his head before he pushed himself to his feet. “Ok, I’ll head there first.”

“Yeah, I think you should,” Fiorello encouraged rather eagerly. “Quicker if you go alone.”

“Right,” Drayce replied with a nod of his head before he turned to give Ashton his attention. “Ashton, sorry, I know you mean well but I need you to open up that certain room on the third floor.”

If they were to help Caelem and find this Radiant Moon, they needed all their resources.

“Ah, I see,” Ashton responded, not remotely surprised it seemed, and pushed away from the couch he was leaning on. “That didn’t last long.”

Drayce smiled at him before he turned his attention to the light-purple-haired Celestian. “You’ll love it, Shashi,” he said simply.

Shashi looked at him with a wholly curious look on his face. “Hm?”

Drayce continued to smile, this time a little more cheekily, as he headed in the direction of the front doors. “For the record I wanted to tell you right away but Ashton and Blayke are meanies and wouldn’t let me.”

Shashi continued to look utterly intrigued as he pushed himself to his feet and turned around to face Asthon. And when he did so, his eyes narrowed slightly. “What am I missing out on?” he asked as he moved to step around the couch, Ashton unexpectedly moving to the other side away from him. “Ashton, are you hiding something from me?”

“It was for your own health, I promise,” Ashton insisted as he smiled charmingly at him, his hand reaching into the pocket of his trousers to pull out the key.

“Don’t give me that,” Shashi tisked.

Drayce had to laugh as he continued on his way. “Anyway, I’ll head off now.”

“Wait a second!” Blayke called out to him as he hurried to follow.

“It’s fine,” Drayce insisted as he reached the front entrance, pausing to look at Blayke with his hand on the door handle. “Really, I’m sure I can find him.”

“Who is this Zohar anyway?” Blayke asked him with his every familiar scowl of protectiveness.

“He’s Fiorello’s friend,” Drayce answered honestly and with a careless shrug of his shoulder. “Don’t worry, he’ll help, I’m sure.”

“Do you even know him?”

“Met him once.”

“What?”

“It’s fine!” Drayce insisted as he opened the door and stepped through, keeping Blayke on the inside. “Be back soon!”

He then closed the door, virtually in Blayke’s face, before he turned on his heel and sprinted down the steps and into the streets. He remembered exactly where Fiorello’s apartment was.

He just hoped that Zohar was there.


	12. Chapter 12

It wasn't remotely difficult for Drayce to location Fiorello's clinic, despite having been there only once. Fiorello had spent his time since joining the guild at the Crescentia and getting their personal clinic in order, which was fine as there was plenty of room for the botanist to move in if he wanted.

Drayce cleared the front stoop in two strides and hastily knocked on the door. Although slightly breathless from the run, he still called out. “Hey, Zohar? Are you in?”

He received no reply, couldn’t even hear a sound from inside, so he knocked again. A little louder this time. He was greatly disappointed when he received no answer. He still couldn’t hear anything from inside, so it was obvious that no one was inside.

He sighed as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the wooden door as he tried to think. He didn’t have a clue where Zohar could be as he had literally only met him once. And he honestly knew only the bare essentials when it came to necromancers. But he needed to find Zohar to help Caelem. He would just…have to walk around this entire city if he had to.

As Drayce peeled his forehead away from the door he felt a sudden chill in the air. Then, before he could react, something phased through the door right in front of him. It appeared to be that of a white wraith that honestly looked like the storybook ghosts he had seen as a child. Round and white. But it had red downturned eyes and a red upturned mouth. And it appeared right in front of his face, a mere inch away.

“Woah!” he uttered in surprise as he instinctively took a step back to put some distance between him and the wraith in front of him.

But his heel slipped off of the top step and he found himself stumbling backwards. But before he could either right him or hit the ground, his back hit something quite hard and he felt something slip around his waist, pinning him still. But keeping him upright all the same. When he felt something that was akin to a hand grabbing his shoulder in a further attempt to keep him on his feet, Drayce tilted his head back to find a pair of bright blue eyes peering back down at him.

Ahh…

“Z-Zohar?” Drayce squeaked out.

Zohar, however, tilted his head curiously to the side, never loosening his grip. “You’ve been searching for me?”

Drayce blinked before realisation caused him to stiffen and immediately scramble out of Zohar’s arms. “Ah, yes!” he said as he spun around to face him. “I need your help with something.”

Though Zohar’s expression barely changed, he did arch a questioning eyebrow. “Oh?” He seemed intrigued again, much like the first time Drayce had met him.

Drayce decided to simply launch into it, being blunt and getting right to the facts really was the best method. 

“There’s someone at my guildhouse who has a spell etched onto his back and it supposedly leads to a treasure. I’m not interested in that at the moment though as he was the target of bandits who forced him into the labyrinth against his will. To make a long story short I want to remove that spell and Fiorello says you might be able to help.”

Zohar was silent as he stared at him, again much like the first time they met. “…You are helping another in trouble, are you?” he asked as the corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly.

Drayce blinked before he smiled and shrugged his shoulder. Again, he was reminded to the first time they met, when he was looking for a healer to help Faelen. “Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

“I see,” Zohar replied simply.

“Do you think you can help?” Drayce asked as he gave him a pleading, hopeful expression on his face.

Zohar’s gaze flickered to the side for a moment, seemingly thinking to himself. After a moment of silence, he turned his gaze back to Drayce. “I will need to inspect him for myself.”

“That’s fine,” Drayce said with a smile as a wave of relief washed over him. “He’s back at the Crescentia.”

When Drayce heard a high-pitched grumbling he suddenly remembered the ghost shaped figured that had phased through the door directly in front of him and nearly made him fall down the steps. He turned around to find the ivy coloured ghost looking directly at him, its face pulled in what he could only describe as a pout.

For a second he felt a spike of fear because, well, it was a ghost. But he managed to instantly calm himself by reminding himself that necromancers had the ability to summon and control wraiths. So, clearly, this ghost was one of Zohar’s wraiths.

“This is Theodore,” Zohar unexpectedly said as he introduced his wraith to him.

Drayce didn’t realise that necromancers had pet wraiths, but it was still kinda cute. And honestly so was Theodore itself.

Theodore suddenly waved its arms at him as it made a comically disgruntled face, almost as if reacting to Drayce’s thought of it being cute.

“Theodore says that it is fury and fright,” Zohar told him in a deadpanned manner. “Not remotely cute.”

And Drayce couldn’t help but laugh aloud with genuine amusement. “Of course you are, Theo.”

Theodore proceeded to actually huff and folded its arms crossly in front. It also appeared to be pouting. Honestly Drayce had the almost impossible to resist urge to pet the wraith on the head. He didn’t know if the ghost would appreciate it, though.

Enough of that. He needed to lead Zohar to the Crescentia so that he could help Caelem.

“You’re free now, right?” Drayce asked as he turned his attention back to Zohar. “Because I would like your opinion on this as soon as possible, if that’s ok?”

“Hm, now is fine,” Zohar replied.

“Ok, let’s go then,” Drayce said as he turned to lead Zohar back to the Crescentia. 

He was honestly relieved to have found him so quickly. Though Caelem had said that he had dealt with that spell on his back for a couple of years now, Drayce still wanted to remove it from him as quickly as possible. He didn’t know whether literally carrying a spell around on his back was detrimental to his health, but he couldn’t imagine it would be good for him at all.

The walk back to the Crescentia was a silent one with Zohar walking a step or so behind him, though Drayce didn’t realise this until they reached the gates of the guildhouse as he was too busy lost in his thoughts. He thought Zohar was just being polite in some way so chose not to comment on it.

Instead Drayce led him to the front entrance and pushed open the doors, motion with his a wave of his hand over his shoulder to Zohar to follow.

“We’re back!” Drayce called out the second he stepped over the threshold.

“Took you long enough,” a familiar voice chided lightly to hide his over-protectiveness.

Drayce resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned to face his friend. “Hey, I wasn’t gone that long.”

Blayke continued to frown (honestly, it looked more like a disgruntled pout in Drayce’s opinion) before his eyes flickered over Drayce shoulder. And his expression hardened slightly with caution. “So this is…?”

“This is Zohar,” Drayce immediately replied before he turned to regard the tall necromancer. “And this is my suspicious best friend, Blayke.”

Drayce didn’t need to look at Blayke to know that he bristled wildly. “I wouldn’t be suspicious if you weren’t so god damn charitable!”

“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Drayce said with a frown. But that soon turned into a half smile when he realised that the seating room behind him was completely empty. “Anyway, how did Shashi handle the revealing of the library?”

Blayke folded his arms across his chest as his eyes drifted toward the ceiling. “He tried to strangle Ashton for not telling him sooner.”

Drayce just had to laugh at that. Poor Ashton, though he really should have expected as much. Ah, he probably did, hence the reason why he was desperately trying to put some distance between him and the Celestian before Drayce ran out to find Zohar. He was sure the two would kiss and make up later. 

“I take it everyone is upstairs, too?”

“Yeah,” Blayke nodded.

Good. The sooner they figure out how to help Caelem, the better.

Drayce turned back to Zohar, who had been silent the entire time. He paused for a moment when he realised Zohar was glancing at their surroundings with an openly curious and intrigued expression on his face.

He figured that Zohar was just fascinated by the mana and energy stored inside the Crescentia. Kamali was after all. And he was fine with letting the necromancer wander around if he wanted. But right now they had something they needed to do. Exploration of the guildhouse could wait.

Drayce cleared his throat to grab his attention. “Come on, Zohar,” he said as he motioned toward the stares with his hand. “We’ve got to climb to the third floor where the library is.”

Zohar nodded idly as he turned his face around to look at him. His lips parted, as if he wanted to say something but grew immediately silent when Blayke unexpectedly released a high-pitched sound. Like a squeak, honestly.

“What the fuck is that?”

Drayce immediately turned around with an expression of concern. He was about to ask him what was wrong when he paused himself. Hovering in front of Blayke, with what could only be described as a cheeky grin on its face was a round, white ghost. It appeared that Zohar’s wraith had accompanied them, also. 

“Now, don’t be rude,” Drayce said with a grin. “That’s Theodore. He’s Zohar’s pet wraith.”

“And its’ thrilled that someone appears scared of it,” Zohar added with a deadpanned voice, though Drayce was certain he could detect a sense of mirth in his tone.

Blayke took a half step back as Theodore lifted a hand towards its mouth, as if greatly amused. “I-I’m not scared,” he muttered.

Drayce could see that despite his claims, Blayke was indeed highly uncomfortable in the wraith’s presence. And Drayce was against teasing anyone (especially Blayke) to the point of making them genuinely uncomfortable.

So he shot Blayke a sympathetic look before he turned his attention to Zohar. “Sorry, but do you mind?” he asked.

Zohar, fortunately, knew immediately what he meant. He turned those sharp blue eyes toward him and nodded his head once. He then turned his gaze back toward Blayke and the wraith Theodore. “Enough now,” he said in a commanding tone. “You should sleep for now.”

Theodore did that huffy, disgruntle wave of its arms like it had done to Drayce earlier, but it soon folded its arms and faded from sight. And along with it, that subtle prickly feeling on the back of Drayce’s neck.

“It will not return unless summoned,” Zohar explained plainly, yet in a way that was probably supposed to be reassuring.

Blayke immediately looked relieved. “Ok, good,” he muttered. 

Blayke then muttered something else under his breath, but Drayce couldn’t exactly make out what he said. He deduced that the blue-haired fencer had muttered something about not being afraid of ghosts. Again, he chose not to say anything.

Instead he turned his attention back to the stairs, motion for both Blayke and Zohar to follow him up.

Once again they walked in silence, only the sound of the footsteps on the slightly creaky stairs accompanying them. Drayce couldn’t help but notice something peculiar, though. On every fourth step of the stairs leading to the second floor the boards creaked softly. The ones in-between didn’t though. And on the stairs leading to the third floor, every third step creaked.

That was…extremely odd, to be honest. Were those steps hollow underneath?

He didn’t have much time to muse about it and he pushed that strange information to the back of his mind when he heard the voices of Ashton and his guildmates. Quickly ascending the stairs, he immediately made a beeline for the library, noting that the doors were both wide open. He mused that maybe Shashi had wrestled the key from Ashton and was the one to open the doors. 

“Hey, Ashton,” Drayce called out the second he stepped into the large room, noticing with a smile that the green-haired Earthlain’s shirt was slightly ruffled and dishevelled. “Still in one piece I see.”

Ashton gave him a half smile as he absentminded smoothed down his shirt. “It was close.”

Drayce chuckled lightly and looked around the large library, assuming that Shashi had promptly gotten himself lost amongst the many bookcases as he couldn’t see the purple-haired Celestian anywhere.

But he could see the rest of his guildmates, along with Caelem, situated at a table in the middle of the library.

Fiorello was the first to turn around to greet them and a cheeky smile immediately appeared on his lips. “Good, you found Zohar!”

Drayce sent the botanist a half smile. “He actually found me, but whatever works, right?”

Caelem’s ears perked up and he turned around to face them. There was a flicker of hopefulness in his eyes, but his body language gave the indication that he was still cautious and wary. “Ah, so…?”

From just a step behind him, Drayce heard Zohar make a small humming noise under his breath. Then he strode forward to approach Caelem, the Therian stiffening out of both intimidation and unease. He stayed perfectly still though as Zohar held his chin in thought as he circled him, blatantly inspecting him. 

“I see,” Zohar muttered as he stopped to stand directly behind Caelem, the Therian seemingly too scared to move. “So you’re the one then?”

“U-uh, yeah…” Caelem murmured, his hands fidgeting by his sides.

“No need to be intimidated,” Fiorello said as he walked over to stand next to Caelem and patted him on the leg. He then turned and slapped Zohar leg. “And you, no need to be intimidating.” 

Zohar glanced down at Fiorello before he looked back at Caelem. Thankfully, definitely in Caelem’s opinion, Zohar dropped his arms to his side and took a step back from him. “My apologises,” he said simply.

“Ok!” Caelem squeaked out, still unwilling to move or even look at Zohar. 

And he didn’t move until Kamali approached him, took his wrist in his hand and led him over to a chair. He promptly sat down, his hands resting on his knees. A moment later his ears folded flat against his head and he breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders sagging as both Kamali and Faelen (along with Nashoba, of course) tried to comfort him.

“So,” Fiorello started as he turned the focus back to Zohar. “Since you figured out he’s the one, do you think you can help?”

“It is a powerful spell, alright,” Zohar said as he folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the floor in front of him in thought. “Destroying it will not be easy.”

“How about removing it?” Drayce questioned as he walked over to him. “Like, can you transfer it onto something else? Like a scroll, tome, or even a pendulum or compass?”

Zohar unfurled an arm so that he could hold his chin, once more appearing in deep thought. “Hmm…” he murmured before he fell silent for a minute or so. “A scroll that has been infused with mana is feasible,” he finally said. “We will need materials.”

Again, Drayce was relieved. Finally they were getting somewhere. “What do we need?” he asked.

“Gemstones, mostly,” Zohar replied. 

Ah, good. They wanted to collect mining samples, anyway.

The sound of footsteps caused Drayce to turn toward the tall bookcases and he watched as Shashi emerged from behind one, a book in his hands that he was idly flipping through. “I should be able to create a mana infused parchment,” he unexpectedly said. “Though it will take time.”

“Hey Shashi,” Drayce greeted with a grin as he motioned to the room around them with his arms. “What do you think of the library?”

Shashi continued to idly flipping through the pages of the book in his arms. “I’m moving in,” he said simply.

And Drayce laughed. “That’s fine,” he said before a curious expression appeared on his face. “I don’t suppose you’ve found information, have you?”

In a library this big? Yeah, it would be absolutely miraculous if he did.

“Well,” Shashi unexpectedly drawled. “I did find something of interest.”

No way!

“What is it?” Drayce asked as he made his way over to him.

“There are many references to the moon, especially in regards to its radiance,” Shashi said as he flipped to a page and pressed a fingertip onto it. “But I’ve found only one reference to a Radiant Moon. More specifically, Radiant Moon of Compassion.”

Drayce glanced down at the book, Shashi angling it slightly so that he could see. On the page that Shashi had indicated to was a rough sketching of a sceptre. From the black and white drawing, he couldn’t tell what size it was and there didn’t appear to be any details on its appearance. 

There was a quick remark to the Earthlain royalty, though.

“There is little information on it, I’m afraid,” Shashi said with a subtle tone of disappointment. “But the Earthlain’s royals were mentioned, as where the Celestians. But little else.”

“Do you think the royal family had kept its presence a secret?” Ashton was the one to ask.

Maybe. Or it happened to long ago that it had become forgotten over time. 

The words, however, still felt familiar to him. Could that sceptre, that Radiant Moon of Compassion, be a treasure he had heard when he was a child? About how only the moonbeams from a partly cloudy sky will lead the way to the moon’s true compassion?

“Well, this is a fine prelude to the world of treasure hunting, isn’t it?” Blayke abruptly said from where he stood next to the table where the others had gathered. “And we still need to complete the first mission.”

“Let’s go speak to Ramus then,” Drayce decided. “Explain to him that things will take longer than previously thought. I want him to know about those bandits anyway. After that, I would like to speak with Virgil as well. He might have seen something, or had heard something.”

Though it was mid-afternoon now, he was certain that Ramus and probably Virgil wouldn’t mind an afternoon visitor.

Seemingly eager for the possibility to physically do something, Blayke nodded his head. “I’ll go too, then,” he said without room for argument. 

“Return here once you are done speaking with Ramus,” Ashton all but commanded as he folded his arms across his chest. “We should have the material list done by the time you return so that you can retrieve the samples of stones while you’re there speaking with the guard.”

Ah, that sounded more than reasonable.

“Sure thing,” Drayce said as he and Blayke moved to leave. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *smashes head against keyboard* I want these headaches to leave me alone ;^; A rather short chapter this week. It’s more of an info dump but I hope you enjoy anyway. It has Ramus in it so that alone should be enough to warrant a read, right?

The quickest and easiest way to travel to the Council Hall was by hitching a ride on a carriage. Thankfully they pass by the Crescentia frequently, so it wasn’t hard for them to hail one.

Sitting in the back of a carriage, however, gave Drayce time to think and ponder. And the main theme of his thoughts was of course this Radiant Moon. He was more than certain that he had heard it somewhere before. There was a story about it. He just couldn’t remember the exact story, the exact words.

The word compassion was extremely important to the tale as well.

_Only those with compassion in their hearts will see the light of the Radiant Moon_ …

That was all he could remember. What that meant, he didn’t know. He didn’t even know if it was connected. He felt in his gut it was significant, though. He just knew that it was important.

It wasn’t until the carriage came to a halt did Drayce realise they had reached their destination. He had been in his head the entire ride, not paying attention to anything else.

“Get your head in the game,” Blayke said to him as he nudged him to the exit the carriage with his foot. “What’s got you so preoccupied? I mean besides the obvious.”

Drayce hopped out of the carriage and ran a hand through his hair. “That…thing,” he said, unwilling to utter the real words aloud. “I’ve heard it somewhere before. I know I have. And it’s driving me crazy!”

Blayke didn’t look surprised but he nodded his head idly anyway. “Well, you will have to return to your thoughts later,” he recommended. “Don’t start muttering under your breath incoherently in front of Ramus, ok?”

Drayce gave him a purely indignant look and planted his hands on his hips. “I don’t talk under my breath.”

Giving his usual response of rolling his eye in a way that was damn near contempt, Blayke ignored Drayce’s pouting as he turned his attention to the carriage driver. As he spoke with the man, offering a few coins for the lift, Drayce found himself drifting to his thoughts once more. More specifically trying to find the right words to tell Ramus what had recently happened.

Everything he knew, at least. He didn’t have all the information yet, but felt it would be best to at least give Ramus a head’s up to what he’s been up to.

“Let’s go,” Blayke said, pulling Drayce from his thoughts once again. “The sooner we talk to Ramus about this, the better.”

“Right,” Drayce said as they turned to the stairs and headed inside.

Once more Ramus stood atop of a flight of stairs, dutifully speaking with explorers and locals alike. Thankfully the line to reach the prince wasn’t as long as it usually was. After only a few minutes, it was Drayce and Blayke’s turn to approach the prince. And Ramus smiled politely at them at first, but that smile turned genuine when he recognised them.

“Oh, hello again,” Ramus greeted. “Have you come in regards to the mission?”

Drayce scratched the back of his neck as he gave him a lopsided grin. “Ah, about that. We’ve hit a little snag, so to speak. Could we talk somewhere private?”

Ramus appeared momentarily startled before he once again smiled royally politely. “Yes, of course,” he said as he motioned in the direction of his office with his hand. “Let’s return to my office.”

Drayce offered him a grateful smile and with Blayke by his side, they followed the prince as he led them through the halls of the council hall once more. Ramus’ office hadn’t changed since they had last visited, though there did appear to be more paperwork on his desk. No doubt registry forms for guilds seeking to enter the labyrinth.

With a courteous motion of his hand, Ramus beckoned for Drayce and Blayke to sit themselves at the chairs before his desk. And he stayed standing until they did just that before he turned to sit down himself.

“Is the first mission giving you difficulties?” Ramus inquired as he folded his hands elegantly on his desk in front of him.

“It’s not the mission, it’s something else,” Drayce said. “Let me start from the beginning.”

He then launched into an explanation of what had been occurring, about how his first jaunt into the labyrinth resulted in an impromptu rescue operation. And about how the one he rescued had a spell forced upon them, literally carrying it on their back.

Throughout the entire explanation, Ramus sat silently, listening intently. But when Drayce explained about the possibility of explorer kidnapping bandits, his brow furrowed in obvious concern.

After Drayce was done explaining how he was now focusing on attempting to remove the spell from Caelem, Ramus blinked at them, his mouth dropping open ever so slightly as he appeared bewildered.

“And this occurred from your first time stepping into the labyrinth?” he asked with a subtle sense of awe.

Again Drayce offered him a half smile that held a hint of sheepishness as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, yeah. Heh, I guess I’m just destined to launch right into this treasure hunting thing, huh?”

“It certainly appears so. So you believe this spell will eventually lead to a treasure of some kind?” Ramus asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

“I believe it leads to something,” Drayce answered as he dropped his hand from his neck. “Something called a Radiant Moon.”

Unexpectedly, Ramus’ brow furrowed. “Radiant Moon? That’s…somehow familiar to me.”

It was Drayce’s turn to be insatiably curious. “Oh?”

“Yes, there’s…” Ramus began, his eyes downward in thought. An expression of realisation soon appeared on his face and he stood up from his chair, the legs scrapping loudly against the floor from the sudden movement. “Please, wait just a moment.”

As Ramus turned toward an overly filled bookcase, Drayce shared a curious look with Blayke, the fencer simply shrugging in reply. They continued to sit in silence as they both turned to watch Ramus run a fingertip along the spines of the books, looking for a particular one.

“I don’t know if this is connected, but there was once a gift, a peace offering given to my ancestors,” Ramus said as he continued to search. “It’s not connected to the Lost Treasures, but… “

Drayce found himself sitting straighter in his seat. Those words caused a thrill of recognition to briefly prickle the back of his neck. Gift and peace offering. He remembered those words, too.

“Ah,” Ramus finally uttered in triumphant. “Here it is. It’s written from the point of view of a scholar, one whom had the habit of logging every piece of information he came across.”

A little bit nosy, but handy nonetheless. Of course Drayce was in no position to say anything about being nosy!

“I’m all ears,” Drayce said as he leaned forward in his seat, his elbows on his knees, clearly very eager to learn anything new, about any kind of treasure. But he was especially eager to learn any information at all on this Radiant Moon.

Ramus quickly returned to his seat and took a moment to flip through the pages. He made another soft noise of satisfaction when he settled on a page. With his attention focused on the book and his fingertip trailing over the words, he began to read aloud.

“The Radiant Moon of Compassion was a gift given to the Earthlain royal family in the years after the Legendary War,” he read. “It was a gift of compassion, thus the name. During the years of rebuilding much doubt and wariness was still directed toward the Earthlains for they were unfortunately associated with the Despot. A Celestian known as the Moon Mage had presented the gift to the royal family as a symbol of understanding and solidarity. He knew that the Despot stood alone, and that the vast majority of the royal family, who of which were participating fully in the rebuilding process, had also tried in vain to stop him.

However, while the gift was given to all of the royal family, it was the male heir who had received it, unwittingly becoming the symbol of hope between the two races. His younger sister, who was schooled since birth to be the true symbol of hope and peace, was angered that her brother had 'betrayed' her and stolen her birthright. On the surface the family held a united front, but fights between brother and sister broke out often. Every night and day, according to palace rumours.

It is believed, but that is no physical evidence, that in a fit of jealousy she had stolen the Radiant Moon in hopes of tarnishing her brother's reputation, and where she would take her rightful place as beloved peace-keeper. Fortunately the male heir had form close bonds with the Celestians and in spite of the missing gift, was able to maintain that bond. What happened to the Radiant Moon, no one knows. And the sister? There's been no record on her either since that time, not even the scholar responsible for this documentation knew any more of her.”

Drayce sat dumbly in his seat. That…sounded so much like that story he remembered from childhood! In fact he was sure it was the same!

“My apologises,” Ramus suddenly uttered as a slight frown spread across his lips. “But I do not have any information on the Radiant Moon itself.”

“I think I do,” Drayce said with a smile. “My knowledge is on the treasures themselves, not necessarily the stories behind them. But I do know that each treasure has a story and all stories have a grain of truth. From what I remember is a tale about how a gift given in friendship was stolen in spite. The Radiant Moon had hidden itself from spiteful eyes. But that spite lingers, the words Radiant Moon forcefully carried by others so that one of spite could reclaim their destiny. That’s the tale I remember from childhood at least.”

A flicker of realisation appeared in Ramus and he nodded his head. “That tale is similar.”

Blayke suddenly nudged Drayce with his foot. “Seems like you finally remembered it.”

Drayce sent him a wide grin, relieved himself. “Hah, yeah. Actually it was because of the information Ramus just gave us,” he said as he turned his attention back to the prince and gave him a grateful smile. “So it’s thanks to you.”

Unexpectedly, a light dusting of red appeared on Ramus’s cheeks as he absentmindedly trailed his fingers over the pages of the book in front of him again. “Ah, well…” he uttered before he straightened in his seat. “Do you have any information on the Radiant Moon itself?”

“From what I can recall, it's a ceremonious sceptre,” Drayce replied. “Not made for combat at all.”

Ever the cautious one, Blayke added his own thoughts. “Doesn't have to be, I suppose. Bandits can get money out of it from greedy collectors, right?”

“Right,” Drayce said with a slight frown on his lips. “Holding it for ransom is also a possibility.”

Ramus nodded his head in agreement, his expression also grim. “The Arcanian Council would indeed offer a lot of money for the sceptre's safe return. Even if it is not the legendary Radiant Moon of Compassion, the mere belief that it is will be enough.”

That was a reason why Drayce didn’t like bandits; they were opportunistic and money-hungry. They didn’t care for the treasures at all, what they could mean to others. They just want money.

“We need to find it before those bandits do,” Drayce said with a sense of determination. “And return it to its rightful place.”

Blayke turned to look at Drayce with a curious look. “Do you think the bandits know what they are actually looking for?”

Drayce pinched his lips together in thought. “They must know something,” he finally offered. “They targeted Caelem after all.”

Blayke nodded his head, seemingly absentmindedly. “They could have just sensed mana from him,” he added with a protective scowl. “And decided there was no harm in seeing what they can get out of him.”

That was worse than purposely targeting him. If that was the truth, then those bandits were ruthless and unpredictable. And were likely to target anyone that they believed could lead them to something of monetarily gain.

“In that case they have a Celestian working with them,” Drayce said. “Let's prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario anyway.”

Once more, Blayke nodded his head, having already reached that conclusion himself. He looked grim, too, no doubt already anticipating trouble. And, honestly, after what had already happened, that worry and wariness was understandable.

“What is it that you’re going to do now?” Ramus asked, causing Drayce and Blayke to turn their attention back to him.

“My first priority is keeping Caelem safe and finding the treasure before those bandits do,” Drayce answered without hesitation. “I know that I’m required to complete the first mission, holding it above all else, and I will complete it, I just need to focus on this first.”

Ramus, however, held up a hand and shook his head. “No, that is completely understandable,” he said with a small smile on his lips. “And what you’ve done so far goes above and beyond what is expected of you.”

While Drayce was glad that Ramus was understanding, he still felt a prang of guilt for not being able to finish the mission completely. He had promised he would, after all.

Ramus abruptly closed the book in front of him and pushed away from the desk. “Though it goes against protocol,” he began as he stood up from his chair. “I want to give you something. Rather, allow you access to something.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Hm?”

“Do you know of a merchant by the name of Syrik?” Ramus inquired as he opened a drawer in a cabinet and pulled out a sheet of paper. When Drayce uttered an affirmative, he walked back to his desk and quickly sat back down. As he did so, he picked up a writing utensil and seemed to scribble something upon the paper.

“Give him this note and he will exchange it for something known as an Ariadne Thread,” Ramus said as he folded the note in half and handed it to Drayce. “It should be invaluable to your quest.”

“Thank you,” Drayce said as he retrieved the note and gave him a grateful grin. “We appreciate it.”

Ramus gave him a small smile back but a look of genuine concern soon replaced it. “Be careful,” he said. “Though the Radiant Moon would indeed be a prize worth finding in the eyes of the council, it is not at the cost of your lives.”

It was humbling how worried he appeared to be.

“Don’t worry,” Blayke was the one to reply as he stood up from his chair. “I’ll make sure this idiot doesn’t do anything reckless.” The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. “I’ve been doing it for years.”

Drayce noticed that Ramus gave Blayke a soft smile in appreciation. He also seemed to have a light dusting of red on his cheeks. He chose not to point it out and instead he pushed himself to his feet, too, and sent Blayke a playfully disgruntled and insulted look. “Hey, rude.”

This time Blayke did smirk at him. “The truth hurts,” he said simply.

Drayce sent him a quick grin before he turned back to Ramus. “Don’t you worry about us,” he said in reassurance. “We’ll be back soon.”

With that, both Drayce and Blayke turned and hurried from the office. The information that Ramus just shared with them needed to be shared with the others. Shashi might be able to find more information on this Radiant Moon of Compassion. So their first stop was back to the Crescentia. After that, the market place.

And then back into the labyrinth to speak with Virgil and gather mining samples to ready themselves for the removal of Caelem’s curse.

What would happen after that, he wasn’t sure.

He would just have to wait and see.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Juuuuuuust over 4k this week~ Drayce is such a precious shit in this chapter, oh my god. I mean he’s precious in general, but in this chapter particular. Not to mention Caelem is precious, too. He’s turned out slightly different than I had initially planned but he’s so much more adorable now and I love him very much. Sorry, enough of my ramblings, please enjoy reading~

The moment the carriage settled to a stop outside the Crescentia, Drayce quickly climbed out with Blayke right behind him.

Blayke had wanted to return to the Crescentia straight away, but Drayce managed to convince him into visiting the market place first so they could give Syrik that note from Ramus. Even though the market place was within walking distance of the Crescentia, he saw no point in returning home and then heading back out when they were travelling past the markets anyway.

It was late afternoon now, maybe an hour or so until sunset. Not much time, given he still had to return to the labyrinth and speak with Virgil about the bandits and pick up some stones. So he needed to explain to everyone quickly what Ramus had informed him and Blayke of the Radiant Moon. There was a slim chance that this Randian Moon of Compassion wasn’t the one spoken off on Caelem’s back, but it was all they currently had to work on. And they couldn’t afford to dismiss anything outright.

Entering the Crescentia, the first floor seemed eerily quite. But that was most likely due to the fact that everyone was still in the library.

So to the third floor they go.

As they walked up the stairs, Drayce unexpectedly stumbled over a step and he had to reach out for the banister to keep himself upright. He looked down, somewhat confused as to how and why he stumbled. He brushed it off, though, thinking he probably didn’t lift his foot high enough and his toe caught the edge of the step. No big deal.

“You all right?” Blayke asked him.

Drayce couldn’t say he was surprised that Blayke would pick up the slight stumble and take it as something to be concerned about.

“It’s nothing,” Drayce replied with a reassuring grin as he pushed away from the banister and straightened his posture to ensure that he didn’t stumble again.

He managed to walk up the rest of the stairs without faltering and quickly made his way into the library. And just as he had figured, everyone was still there, either looking through books or speaking with Caelem. It was good to see that the Therian had calmed down noticeably and was speaking easily with Kamali and Faelen. Zohar was also still there, speaking with Shashi, no doubt about what was needed to be done to help Caelem, while Fiorello spoke with Ashton.

It was also good to see everyone getting along so well.

As per usual with him, Ashton appeared to be the first person to notice their return. “How did the meeting go?” he asked them with a small smile and closed the book he was flipping through.

“Very well,” Drayce answered as he walked into the centre of the room and unintentionally the centre of everyone’s attention. “Not only was Ramus understanding of the situation, he also gave us some potentially important information.”

“So the Radiant Moon was indeed important to the Earthlain royal family?” Shashi questioned as he still carried that very same book around.

“Right,” Drayce replied. “From what Ramus told us, the Radiant Moon was a gift given to the royal family as a sign unity and compassion in the years after the devastation of the Legendary War by a Celestian. But a member of the royal family stole it out of spite and jealousy. No one knows what happened to it, or to her, after that.”

“Interesting,” Shashi murmured as he held his chin in thought. “That would explain the use of mana and the need of a stone to reveal the words. But could a Celestian also be the one forcing this spell upon another?”

“I…” Caelem began. “I don’t remember much of what happened to me, but I do know that a necromancer was the one who forced this spell onto me. I don’t know anything more than that, though.”

Zohar folded his arms across his chest as he peered down at the floor in front of him. “There is the possibility that the spell had been passed around simply out of the need to protect oneself from those who desperately seek the Radiant Moon itself.”

“Ramus did say that the council and the Earthlain royal family would pay whatever money is necessary to have the Radiant Moon back,” Blayke explained. “Which is a good reason for bandits to go after it without remorse.”

Caelem winced and his ears drooped slightly as he sunk back into his seat. “That would explain why they were so ruthless with me…” he murmured softly.

Although Drayce felt a protective trill race down his spine upon imaging what those bandits would have and have done to Caelem, he tried to focus on the task at hand. Honestly, the reason why the location of the Radiant Moon was forced onto Caelem was irrelevant right now. They needed to focus on removing it, keeping him safe, and finding the Radiant Moon before those bandits do.

Speaking of those bandits.

“Caelem, what can you tell us about these bandits?” Drayce questioned. “What did they look like? How about classes?”

Caelem sat silently for a moment as he idly clenched and unclenched his hands on his lap. “I remember two of them the most. A young male celestian who appeared to be a necromancer and was issuing out the orders. Quite short though. And the other was a tall male pugilist who was constantly arguing with the necromancer about how he didn’t take orders from anyone but the “Boss”, as he called them. The others were actually really quite plain looking. Indistinguishable from each other actually. I don’t even remember their faces.”

Ok, so they needed to be on the lookout for a young necromancer and a tall pugilist. In a city full of explorers, the two weren’t exactly an uncommon sight. But at least they had something to work on.

“Fortunately, even though we haven’t officially finished the first mission, Ramus has granted us access to the use of Adriane Threads,” Drayce said as he idly rubbed the back of his neck. “We’ve already visited the market place, so the next thing we need to do is to go back to the labyrinth where-”

“No,” Ashton suddenly said, cutting him off firmly.

Drayce was startled and turned to face the green-haired scholar. “Huh?” he uttered.

“I said no,” Ashton said with his arms folded across his chest and his expression unnaturally stern. “Not now. Not yet. It’s nearly nightfall and the labyrinth is dangerous enough during the day. Besides, you’re also still suffering from that battle against the Wild Dog, too. You might not feel it now because your mind is elsewhere, but when you stop to take a breath, you’re going to feel every little ache and pain.”

“He’s right,” Fiorello added before Drayce had the chance to protest. “A battle against a Wild Dog is no small feat and you had to endure several physical clashes with the raging beast. Rest for the night and head out first thing in the morning where there’s more light. I won’t take no for an answer either.”

Although feeling somewhat cornered, Drayce still wanted to protest, promising to simply speak with Virgil and then maybe mine a stone or two. That was all. He wanted to help Caelem as soon as possible.

“It’s ok,” Caelem suddenly spoke up.

Startled again, Drayce turned to regard the redheaded Therian. “Huh?” he uttered dumbly.

“You’re pushing yourself to help me, aren’t you?” Caelem questioned with an expression that was equal parts guilt and gratitude. “You all have. You don’t need to do that. I’ve had this spell on my back for years. I can wait for a few more days.”

Drayce stared at Caelem for a moment and noticed how tired he looked and felt, and he felt a prang of guilt for trying to rush things. “….You’re right. You’re still recovering, too, huh?”

“Indeed,” Zohar said. “It would be best if he was stronger before we attempt the removal spell.”

Drayce looked over at Zohar in concern, once again feeling a sense of guilt because he never bothered to ask whether the removal of the spell was safe for Caelem. Though leaving the spell as is would be worst, right? It couldn’t be good for him health wise and those bandits were unlikely to have taken good care of him.

“Will it hurt him?” he asked.

“No,” Zohar said bluntly. “But it will be draining.”

Not entirely reassuring, but…

“We still need time to properly fuse mana to a scroll,” Shashi stated. “That can’t be rushed. So, for now, you will rest. I’ll continue to look for information on the Radiant Moon.”

Knowing that he had been well and truly defeated, Drayce nodded his head. “Let me know immediately if you find anything,” he requested.

Shashi offered him a small smile. “Of course.”

That unnatural look of sternness dissipated from Ashton’s face as he dropped his arms to his sides and made his way over to Drayce. With a reassuring expression that Drayce was more accustomed to, he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave a light squeeze.

“For now; let’s head downstairs and get something to eat,” Ashton said as he guided Drayce toward the exit of the library. “I bet everyone is starving. Let’s all head down and eat together, like what a proper guild does.”

Drayce gave Ashton a small, almost sheepish smile. “Ok, sounds good.”

Ashton gave him another smile, but that unexpectedly turned into a knowing look; arched eyebrow and half grin and all. “No talking about treasures or legends, though.”

Drayce huffed. “Now you’re just being mean,” he whined as they all trekked down the stairs.

… … … … …

After dinning, both Drayce and Caelem had practically been order by Ashton and Fiorello to head to bed early. For Caelem, it was because he was still recovering from the injuries he sustained while held a hostage by those damn bandits. And for Drayce because he was on the very frontline in that battle against the Wild Dog that he had suffered the full force of its brute strength.

Seeing that Ashton was edging closer to that overly zealous caretaker that both his father and grandfather warned him about, Drayce decided to simply agree and head upstairs. He also wanted to walk up with Caelem anyway, to see how he was doing and to help him to his room in case he got lost. It was a large building, after all.

“You can claim that room as yours, if you want,” Drayce said as he escorted Caelem back to the room they had placed him in earlier that day. “There are three bathrooms, strategically spaced out, believe it or not. And kitchen’s downstairs. Make yourself at home.”

Caelem walked through the door of his room before he paused suddenly and turned around to face Drayce, his hands fidgeting in front of him. “You’re doing so much for me.”

Drayce held up a hand to stop him from saying anything more. “Before you ask why, I’ll tell you. It’s because I want to. Not because of the possibility of treasure, either.”

Caelem blinked at him, rather comically and cutely, as he tilted his head to the side in a bewildered fashion. “Eh?”

“I grew up in a village where people took care of one another,” Drayce explained with a smile as he allowed his arm to drop idly to his side. “I grew up with a supportive community. I intend on doing the same here, with this guild. You were in trouble, in pain. I couldn’t stand by and let this happen.”

Caelem continued to stare at him, almost as if he was bewildered by his kindness before he straightened himself upright. “I’ll need to repay you somehow,” he said as he continued to fidget. “I’m a Masurao. I…I can’t just let you do all of this for me and not repay you somehow!”

Oh, he was a Masurao class? To be honest he looked the part, but because of his circumstances of how he was in the labyrinth, Drayce felt it wrong to ask him if he was. Masurao’s were famous for being steadfast and loyal, some even going as far as pledging their lives to another, promising to act as their sword.

Drayce hoped that Caelem didn’t go that far with him. He wasn’t interested in someone acting as his sword, but he would be more than willing to have Caelem in his guild as a guildmate and companion.

“That’s fine, but worry about that later,” Drayce said as he reached out to place a gentle and reassuring hand on Caelem’s shoulder. “Let’s focus on removing that spell. Don’t worry, Caelem. We’ll work this out somehow.”

Caelem didn’t wince at the touch. In fact, he looked more relaxed because of it. “Hn. Alright.”

“Now, let’s get some rest,” Drayce said as he gave Caelem’s shoulder a light squeeze before removing his hand. “I hate to say it, but Ashton is right. The ol’ aches and pains are starting to creep in. Must be the same for you, right?”

Caelem grimaced slightly as he reached up with his left hand to idly rub his right arm. “Y-yeah.”

“My room is the last down the hall,” Drayce said as he motioned with his hand. “Don’t be afraid to visit me if you need anything or even just to talk. I’ll leave you to get some rest now.”

Caelem glanced down the hall and his ear gave a little twitch before he turned back to Drayce and flushed lightly. “Oh, ah, goodnight.”

Drayce smiled at him. “Hope you sleep well.”

Caelem gave him one more friendly and grateful, yet shy smile before he closed his door.

Drayce turned to head to his room also when he paused. He didn’t see Zohar join them for dinner and he wondered if the necromancer had decided to continue researching in the library. Though he knew both Blayke and Ashton were likely to accuse him of trying to research behind their backs, he didn’t see the harm in just popping upstairs to speak with Zohar for a bit.

As quietly as he could so not to alert anyone that he was deviating of course, he made his way upstairs, purposely missing every third step to prevent a telling squeak. When he reached the top step, he hurried into the library, glancing around briefly before his gaze settled upon a lone figure by the window.

“Oh, Zohar,” Drayce called out as he approached, noticing that Zohar was leaning against the window sill, his attention fixed on a book in his hands. “You’re still here.”

Zohar glanced up from his book. Though it was darker now, the sun well and truly set, and the only source of light was from that of a candle, Zohar’s blue eyes seemed as piercing as ever. “And you are not in bed asleep,” he returned as Drayce stopped near him.

Drayce gave him a half smile and one shoulder shrug. “I just wanted to check up on you as you didn’t join us for dinner. You’re not hungry?”

Zohar simply shook his head at him, prompting Drayce to turn his attention to the book he was reading. He also couldn’t help but notice on a table not far from him was a series of papers and notes. It was pretty clear that he had been studying.

“Are you preparing to remove the spell from Caelem?” Drayce asked.

This time Zohar nodded his head as he snapped the book shut in his hands. “There are certain requirements needed before conducting the ritual.”

Drayce couldn’t help but allow a frown of concern to appear on his lips. “It really won’t hurt him?”

Zohar pushed away from the window and stood to his full height. “I will be honest; it won’t be comfortable. He had been carrying and supporting that spell for years. It’s now part of him. Parting it from his spirit won’t be easy.”

“I see,” Drayce murmured as he fidgeted slightly, looking for further reassurance that this was the right thing to do. “This is really the only way, right?”

“To allow the spell to linger will only result in future health issues,” Zohar said as he walked over to the table that had several books laid about, some open and some with obvious bookmarks in place. “A moment of discomfort will only be that; a fleeting moment.”

Drayce followed him to the table and looked down at the books, noting that many of them were written in an ancient Celestian tongue that he didn’t fully understand. “Have you done something like this before?”

“Not this particular spell, no,” Zohar answered honestly. “But I know a great deal on spells and rituals.”

“Oh, really?” Drayce said as he noticeably perked up and turned his attention back to Zohar. “I suppose you would know a lot on myths and legends, too?”

The corner of Zohar’s mouth unexpectedly twitched into a half smile. “You truly are a dedicated treasure hunter,” he said with a mild tone of amusement. However, his expression soon turned into that of subtle concern and he turned those sharp blue eyes to look directly at Drayce. “That’s somewhat worrying.”

Drayce furrowed his brow lightly. “What? Why?”

Zohar’s expression turned stern. “Many of your treasures are connected to cults.”

“Oh,” Drayce breathed before he winced and found himself looking away as he scratched the back of his neck. “Y-yeah, that’s true.”

Treasure hunting wasn’t all fun and games; it had the potential to be very dangerous.

“Many of their prized treasures and artefacts were stolen as well,” Zohar continued. “They are sure to do whatever it takes to get them back.”

Drayce sighed and ran a hand over his face. Yet another person to worry about his safety. And he hadn’t officially started his job as a treasure hunter yet.

“I see,” he murmured. “But are these cults still, you know, around?”

Unfortunately, Zohar nodded his head rather grimly. “Some are,” he admitted. “Some are not, true, but their legends, as you know, live on. And some are truly quite…intriguing. And others are still dangerous.”

Drayce found himself staring as Zohar idly trailed his finger over the scar across the bridge of his nose once more and his blue eyes seemed slightly unfocused, as if he was remembering something.

He truly wanted to ask Zohar about whether or not the rumours that necromancers were created by the hands of another, and what that meant exactly. But as nosy as he was, he knew better than to ask such a heavy, personal question. Fiorello had mentioned something about finding him in bad shape and if those scars were any indication, then…

He must have been in so much pain. Did…did someone do that to him?

Zohar suddenly turned to look directly at Drayce once more. “Hm?” he sounded more curious than annoyed, though, and Drayce unexpectedly felt himself flush from embarrassment.

“Ah, sorry,” he offered with a sheepish grin. “I was just…wondering if those scars of yours still hurt.”

“No, they don’t,” Zohar answered quickly.

And Drayce found himself greatly relieved by that response. “That’s good then,” he murmured.

Silently, Zohar tilted his head to the side to stare at Drayce for a few moments. His expression remained passive, but his brow was furrowed ever so slightly, as if he was both intrigued and puzzled by something. “You’re an inquisitive one,” he said after a moment.

Drayce roughly scratched his cheek as he smiled. “As par for the course, I guess.”

Zohar continued to study him with his gaze, leaving Drayce feeling decidedly self-conscious all of the sudden. He looked away, and as he did so, his gaze inexplicably caught the title of one of the books on the table. It was the book that Shashi had found, the one detailing the Radiant Moon.

Looking at the rough sketching of the sceptre, Drayce reached out with his hand to idly trace his finger over the words on the page.

“Radiant Moon of Compassion,” he read before he smiled slightly, subconsciously noting that Zohar seemed to move to stand next to him, to no doubt glance down at the book as well. “I remember hearing tales of it when I was a kid. It is said to be very beautiful, that drawings of it can’t convey its true magnificence. They also say that the Radiant Moon has a consciousness, and after being taken out of spite, it will only reveal itself to those who have compassion in their hearts.”

“You will find it,” Zohar unexpected stated with resolution in his voice.

Drayce chuckled softly. “I hope so,” he said as he continued to look at the drawing. “What kind of treasure hunter would I be if I didn’t, huh?”

Zohar unexpectedly placed his hand atop of Drayce’s, and equally unexpectedly a strange tingling sensation that was akin to excitement raced down his spine when he purposely pressed his palm against the back of Drayce’s hand.

“That won’t be the reason why,” Zohar said softly.

“What do you mean?” Drayce asked as he turned his head to look at Zohar, only to still upon realising how…close he was to him. He briefly wondered when or how Zohar had managed to get that close to him. And why he wasn’t so…unnerved by his closeness.

Before he could wonder anything more the doors of the library suddenly flung open and caused Drayce to jump back in pure instinct.

“There you are,” came an all too familiar voice.

“O-oh, hey, Ashton,” Drayce found himself greeting shakily as he turned to look at his friend, his hand jerking away from Zohar’s. “What’s up?”

Though Ashton was smiling at him, Drayce knew better than to think that it was a friendly smile. Oh no, it was far from friendly. It was a terse smile, one that he had often seen directed at his father from the scholar. A smile that had sent his father on numerous occasions all but shrieking in fear.

It was his ‘no nonsense caretaker smile’.

Ashton was normally a rather laidback, placid caretaker and scholar. Except when it comes to those times he believes others were pushing themselves or not properly taking care of themselves.

And from the look in his eye, he believed that Drayce being up out of bed and walking around without resting was one of those times.

Oh boy…

“W-what brings you here?” Drayce asked.

“Oh, I’m fairly sure you know why I’m here,” Ashton said as he walked, no stalked, into the room.

“We’re just talking, yeah,” Drayce blurted out in response. “I’m doing anything, I swear. I wasn’t researching or nothing. Just standing here, talking. Nothing strenuous. Just checking in on Zohar before bed and stuff, you know?”

Ashton continued to give him that unnerving grin. “Is that so?”

Drayce felt himself break out into a cold sweat as he tried to figure out the best exit strategy. However, he failed to think and move quickly enough. With a speed that was unnatural to that of a simple scholar, Ashton had managed to snare his arms and before he could blink, Drayce found his world turned upside down.

It took him a second to realise that Ashton had literally flung him over his shoulder and was grumbling under his breath as he began to effortlessly carry him out of the library.

“Oh, come on!” Drayce whined as he only half-hearted struggled. “Ash, there’s no need to go this far!”

“You treasure hunters are all the same,” Ashton was heard muttering as he marched down the stairs to the second floor. “Honestly, the apple doesn’t fall far from this tree…”

“Rude!”

“You’re going to get some sleep tonight, or so help me.”

“Ash, you’re being waaaaay too zealous right now.”

“I will gag you if you don’t fall into a submissive silence pronto.”

“Yeeeesh, ok, I’ll be good…You’ll have to sleep sometime, too…”

“I heard that.”

“Gah!”


	15. Chapter 15

Drayce was glad that Ashton had insisted that he retired to bed early to get some much needed rest because he really was still aching from that impromptu battle to protect Caelem. He just wished Ashton wasn’t so, well, _tenacious_ in his insistence. Was flinging him over his shoulder and literally carrying him to his room before dumping him onto his bed in the most unceremonious fashion really that necessary? Sheesh!

It was shortly after sunrise when Drayce got out of bed and had breakfast. He had wanted to enter the labyrinth as early as he could, and thankfully the others of his guild realised his intentions. They, too, had risen soon after the sun did.

Breakfast was a short and brief event, merely getting something to eat before parting ways to get themselves ready for another trek to Yggdrasil.

As he walked down the stairs, Drayce slipped his cannon into his holster before he lifted his shield and placed the supporting strap over his shoulder and across his chest. Idly patting the strap, he walked into the sitting room to find a few others already there.

“So all we need are mining samples?” Drayce questioned as he approached Shashi who was sat in a chair near the large bay windows.

“There is also a flower I need from the labyrinth,” Shashi added before he indicated over Drayce’s shoulder with a wave of his hand. “Kamali will know which one.”

“Ok, good,” Drayce said as he turned to greet Kamali and smiled at him. “That shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Zohar should go with you.”

Fiorello’s suggestion was completely unexpected and Drayce quickly turned around to look at him in surprise. The botanist, however, just smiled that grin at him. That cheeky grin. Almost as if plotting something.

“Hm?” Zohar himself seemed surprised by the suggestion.

Fiorello shrugged carelessly, his smile unchanging. “I want to stay here and ensure that Caelem’s health is top notch for the removal spell,” he said as he folded his arms into the sleeves of his coat and walked over to Zohar. “You know some healing yourself, so you should be a more than a reasonable replacement. Besides, you know which stones are useful for this ritual, right?”

Zohar arched a questioning eyebrow at Fiorello, to which was returned with an even cheekier grin, before he turned to look over at Drayce. He didn’t utter a sound, but Drayce got the impression that he was awaiting for his approval.

“That’s completely fine with me,” Drayce replied quickly with a small smile.

He was looking forward to it, actually. It should be interesting to spend time with the necromancer, especially since he was helping them out and all.

Zohar looked at Drayce silently, his expression quite stoic. However, a small smile soon appeared on his lips and he nodded his head slightly. “Very well.”

“Good!” Fiorello said as he slapped Zohar on the leg lightly. Though he was smiling, it wasn’t out of relief. It was out of, well…knowing. He had expected him to agree.

“Don’t worry about travelling too far within the floor,” Ashton, the habitual worry-wort added. “Focus on collecting the materials needed.”

“Don’t worry,” Drayce reassured with a smile when he heard Blayke and Faelen gather at the front door, both of them seemingly ready to get this mission underway. “We’ll be back before you know it.”

Drayce waited for Zohar to summon his coffins and for Kamali to speak with his brother for a moment before the three of them all moved toward the front doors. Blayke and Faelen (along with Nashoba, of course) were there waiting for them. They both looked honestly surprised to see that Zohar had joined them instead of Fiorello.

They thankfully didn’t question it and together, the six of them left the Crescentia and made their way quickly as possible toward the labyrinth’s entrance.

As they walked along the stone stairs leading them into the base of Yggdrasil, Drayce lingered back a couple of steps to allow Blayke to take the lead with Kamali and Faelen on either side of him. And to allow Drayce some space to speak with Zohar.

As he idly trailed his finger over the leather strap that kept his shield holstered to his back, Drayce turned to look up at the tall necromancer. “Hey, Zohar? Have you been in the labyrinth before?” he asked.

Zohar glanced at him from the corner of his eye before he turned his gaze forward again and nodded. “Hm. I have,” he unexpectedly answered.

Drayce furrowed his brow slightly. “But you’re not part of a guild, are you?”

“I tend to work alone,” Zohar replied as he kept his eyes forward and a slight frown on his lips. “It’s easy to enter the labyrinth at night.”

“I see…”

The knowledge of Zohar wandering about the labyrinth by himself at night was a little unsettling. Sure he had Theodore, his pet wraith, but was it really ok for him to just wander around by himself? And work alone? Was he trying to, well, search for something himself?

Drayce shook his head slightly to clear his mind. He couldn’t ponder about Zohar and his motives. It was honestly none of his business what Zohar chose to do with his time. If he had goals and ambitions of his own, than that was entirely his right to do so.

Pushing his concerns aside, Drayce instead focused on what needed to be done as they approached the small flight of stairs that would lead them straight to the first floor of the labyrinth.

“Let’s try to avoid the Wild Dogs this time,” Blayke said as they stood together as a party and ascended the stairs.

Honestly, unless a life was in danger, Drayce was hoping to avoid any battle today. He just wanted to get in, do what they came here to do, get what they needed, and then get out. He really wanted to remove that curse from Caelem as soon as possible.

Caelem was putting on a brave face, but Drayce could tell that he was equal part nervous and excited to finally be free of the spell.

“I’ll go talk to Virgil,” Drayce said as he reaching into a pocket inside of his coat and pulled out the map. He then handed it to Faelen, along with the compass. “Why don’t you guys study the map for me and find the mining points. I remember passing one yesterday.”

Faelen looked surprised as he took the map and compass from him. “A-are you sure?” he asked as he chewed on his bottom lip slightly. “You could probably find the mining spots quicker than me.”

That may be true, but that was simply because he knew how to follow maps and how to draw them. They were lessons he learnt when he was a kid. It would make sense for him to be in charge of the maps. But he also wanted Faelen and the others to learn how to draw maps and follow them as well. It would benefit them greatly to learn the basic steps at the very least.

If anything should happen to Drayce himself, at the very least the others would be able to use the map to find a safe location to bunker down in for a while.

“Nonsense,” Drayce said as he waved his hand dismissively as the stepped out into the gentle greenery of the Tutelary Forest. “You got us out of the labyrinth yesterday, right? And with no prompting from me. You and Nashoba will be expert map makers before you know it.”

Faelen blinked at him as they came to a stop in a clearing before a pool of crystal clear water. He then smiled softly, happily, as a dusting of red spread across his cheeks. “Ok,” he said.

“You’ll be fine,” Drayce said as he ruffled his hair. “Now, I’m going to have a quick chat with Virgil. Be right back.”

Dropping his hand from Faelen’s hair, Drayce turned in the direction where he had encountered Virgil yesterday. And thankfully he could see that guard was there near a few small pools of water and with a multitude of chickens scratching at the ground by his feet.

“Virgil!” Drayce called out as he waved an arm at him and quickly headed in the guard’s direction.

Virgil lifted his head up to look in his direction. He appeared momentarily confused, but a gentle smile soon appeared on his lips. “Oh, hello again,” he greeted as Drayce paused in front of him. “How is that young Therian you found?”

“Recovering back at the guildhouse, thankfully,” Drayce replied. “He’s going to be all right.”

“Oh, that’s good news indeed,” Virgil said earnestly. “Did you learn what happened to him?”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” Drayce said as he ignored the chickens that were starting to gather around at his own feet. “He was forced into the labyrinth against his will by a group of bandits. More specifically, a young male necromancer and a large male pugilist. Chances are they’ve disguised themselves as a guild. You haven’t happened to see or noticed anything, have you?”

Virgil was silent as he thought to himself for a moment. “I’m afraid not, no,” he said with a regrettable shake of his head. “I do greet every guild that enters, but I do not recall seeing a red-haired Therian with a pugilist and a necromancer. I like to believe that I am fairly good at remembering faces.”

Drayce was disappointed by the answer, but not all that surprised. “So the chances are they snuck in during the night. Figures.”

“I assume that these bandits are quite dangerous?” Virgil questioned with a frown on his lips.

Drayce nodded his head. “They kidnapped a masurao and forced him into the labyrinth against his will, so it’s safe to say that they are at the very least reckless and unpredictable. Be careful all the same, ok? Wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” He abruptly looked down when he felt something peck at his shoelaces. “Or your chickens.”

Virgil chuckled lightly as he bent down and scooped up the chicken (who Drayce assumed was Deloris, the same chicken from yesterday) and sat her in the crook of his arm. “I will be sure to be extra vigilant,” he promised. “And I will inform you of anything I might learn.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Drayce said before he offered a quick ‘see ya’ and turned to walk back to his guild.

As he approached he noticed that Zohar was speaking with Faelen about the map while Blayke was standing behind Kamali. No, he wasn’t standing behind him. He was hiding behind him. Hands on his shoulders and ensuring the warlock was in front of him, between him and the thing that was unnerving him. And Kamali, for the most part, was seemingly trying to reassure him while attempting to ‘shoo’ away the threat.

Drayce immediately knew why Blayke was unnerved when a white cartoonish shaped ghost drifted merrily around the small group, purposely moving closer to Blayke with each cycle. Zohar must have summoned it in preparation for their expedition.

Before Drayce reached the others, Theodore drifted over to Blayke and hovered directly in front of him, no doubt amused by how Blayke was both intimidated and frightened of it. Drayce, however, wasn’t frightened of the wraith and moved to step in-between it and Blayke.

“Intimidation isn’t funny,” Drayce said as he reached up and poked the wraith on what he hoped was the forehead.

He couldn’t help but blink when his finger met with some resistance. He didn’t expect his hand to phase through, but he was surprised by how…squishy the ghost appeared to be.

Without a second thought, Drayce reached up with both hands and grabbed Theodore on either side of its head. He pressed his palms in, earning a disgruntled gurgle from the ghost before he shifted his grip to pinch the wraith’s cheeks. He pulled at them and they stretched out like rubber. He then let go and they abruptly snapped back into place.

Well, that was something he didn’t expect.

Theodore was squishy. That was the only word he could think off to describe how the ghost felt beneath his hands. Squishy and malleable. Almost like clay but rubber at the same time.

“You’re a lot squishier then I had imagined,” Drayce said as he continued to pull at the wraith’s cheeks, totally disregarding the way the wraith was disgruntledly waving its arms at him.

“Theodore isn’t too fond of that,” Zohar said to him, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

“Well, I’m not fond of intimidation, so he deserves it,” Drayce retorted as he finally let the wraith go, Theodore immediately floating over to Zohar and hiding behind him.

The corner of Zohar’s mouth was slightly upturned in a half smile. He, however, soon cleared his throat and turned in the direction of the path that led further into the floor. “Come,” he ushered as he took the lead. “There are two mining spots on this floor. Let us inspect the furthest first.”

“Sounds good,” Drayce said as he motioned for the others to follow. “Kamali, where do we find this flower?”

“It isn’t difficult to find,” Kamali answered, sounding somewhat energetic. “It grows abundantly on this floor. We can pick one or so when we return to the entrance.”

“Ok, good,” Drayce said idly. It made sense to pick it last as it would ensure that it was as fresh as possible to maintain its quality.

As they walked in silence through the dense green foliage, Drayce found himself falling to the middle of the small group. Blayke and Kamali were behind him. Blayke was taking up the rear, no doubt equal parts nervous about the squishy wraith and cautious of any potential back attacks. Kamali walked only a few steps in front of him, he gazing at their lush surroundings in a calm and yet vibrant manner.

And in front of Drayce were Zohar and Faelen. Though Zohar was significantly taller than Faelen and the rover had to crane his head back to look up at him, Drayce could see that he wasn’t intimidated by him. He seemed to be asking him questions as he pointed at the map and Zohar seemed to be answering them, mostly with a nod or a shake of his head, but he was still engaging with him.

For some reason, it was a relief to see. No, it was good to see his guildmates getting along so well.

He couldn’t help but notice that Nashoba seemed rather…edgy, for a lack of a better word. His head was up, but his tail was down. Not between his legs, but down and not moving. Not even a twitch. His ears, however, were twitching. Twisting and turning in every direction as if he couldn’t quite pinpoint what he was hearing. Or there were multiple things that were unnerving him.

He also noticed that Theodore had taken the lead aside Nashoba. It hovered high in the air, though, allowing for a better advantaged point of their surroundings. The wraith appeared to be simply bobbing along, and yet it would pause on occasion to seemingly glare in the direction of the foliage before continuing along.

Drayce didn’t want to point out the behaviour of the two, though. He didn’t want to worry the others as they appeared to be relaxed while vigilant. It did make him feel more on guard, though.

Those bandits may have gotten their hands on Caelem, but Drayce would make sure they didn’t lay a hand on anyone else.

After manoeuvring around a few pools of water and naturally formed walls and barriers of the labyrinth, Zohar lead them to a small clearing and pointed in the direction of the south-west corner.

A small hollow in the thick tree line that seemed to dip downwards into the soil could be seen. The ground was dirty and muddy, small chunks of rocks having been discarded by previous gatherings.

It was the mining spot. He had briefly glimpsed it in passing yesterday, but for the sake of finishing the first floor, he marked it on the map and focused on finding the sapling sample.

“I’ll go,” Drayce immediately said as he headed toward the mining spot. “Keep watch for me, ok?”

He had heard stories of monsters ambushing parties that were distracted by gathering spots so it would be for the best if Drayce was the one to go digging around in the dirt. As a dragoon he could handle taking hits better than others so it made perfect sense for him to be at the forefront once more.

Temporary detaching his shield from his back, Drayce kicked out the stand to keep it upright as he crouched down and peered into the hollow. The morning light barely infiltrated the dark interior, but he caught glimpses of light. Something was reflecting the small amount of light.

Pulling out a knife from his pocket, Drayce removed the small sheath and used the blade to dig around at the dirt. He knew that not all useful materials were sparkling crystals, so he took samples of everything of interest. And he knew from previous readings that three different types of stones could be gathered from the first floor.

After digging out enough of the stones, Drayce re-sheathed his knife with the silent promise of cleaning it later before he gathered what he could into his hands and turned away from the mining spot.

“How did you fare?” Zohar asked him.

Now that he was standing in the sunlight, Drayce could study the stones he gathered more clearly. Thankfully the stones he gathered seemed to be of the three different varieties; brown, mossy green, and a misty, smoky white.

“If I’m not mistaken, these stones are called Cracked Mudstone, Mossy Ore, and Cloudy Agate,” Drayce said as he showed Zohar the stones.

Zohar looked down at the stones for a moment, his blue eyes searching them carefully. He picked up one of the white stones to inspect it more clearly. He soon nodded his head, seemingly satisfied as he placed the stone back with the others that Drayce had gathered.

“Yes, these stones will do,” he said.

Thank the Mighty Tree for that. Now all they needed was to gather that flower and head back to the Crescentia.

“How will these stones help?” Blayke couldn’t help but ask as Drayce placed the stones into a small pouch.

“Crystals and stones have the ability to enhance, contain, and redirect energies,” Zohar explained. “That is what we are hoping to do with the removal of that spell.”

“Are these stones good enough? Do we need to collect more?” Drayce asked as he indicated to the bag.

But Zohar shook his head. “No, they will be enough.”

“Good,” Drayce said with relief as he placed the stones into a pocket of his coat and grabbed his shield to holster it onto his back. “Do you need anything else?”

“I managed to gather a couple of those flowers brother sent me to find,” Kamali was the one to say. “Everything we require for the ritual is found back at the Crescentia.”

Drayce smiled. “Even better. Then let’s head out and deliver the goods.”

They hadn’t travelled that deeply within the floor, so it was easy for them to turn around and retrace their steps back to the front entrance. As they reached the clearing that would take them to the stairs that led back into the city, Zohar unexpectedly paused and turned to regard Drayce with a questioning look.

“Have you encountered the sealed door yet?” he asked.

That questioned prompted Drayce to remember that Virgil had mentioned something about a peculiar door yesterday. But again his focus was that of the mission, so he had pushed it to the back of his mind.

“Actually, no, we haven’t.”

Zohar gave him a light smile. “Then there is one last thing I think you should see,” he said as he moved beyond the stairs and toward the south-west part of the floor. “It will only take a moment.”

Absolutely intrigued, Drayce followed him and the others followed him.

Around a slight bend and into another clearing, Drayce found his eyes immediately drawn to a large set of doors that sat within the naturally formations of the floor. But on that door was a large magical circle of white light. The light shimmered softly, but with such illumination that it was likely to light the entire clearing even on the darkest of night.

Drawn to the door, Drayce quickly made his way over to it and lifted his hand to timidly touch the glowing circle. He felt a slight tingle race down his spine from the touch, but nothing else happened. “This is…”

The door was sealed tightly. There was no chance he could open up without some kind of special key. He didn’t know why he knew that, but it did make sense.

There must be something important inside.

“There is a strange sense of mana coming from it,” Zohar said from the back of the group.

From where he stood beside Drayce, Kamali lifted his hand to hover it an inch above the circle. “Yes, it’s…very précised and controlled,” he said after a moment.

“This couldn’t be one of the vaults, could it?” Blayke asked.

Drayce shook his head as he lowered his hand from the door. “No, I highly doubt it,” he said as he turned to face everyone. “For starters, there appears to be only one seal; a magical one. Besides, it’s way too obvious. Despot was exceptionally greedy. He would have hidden it better. Way too easy to find, this one.”

Blayke looked a little disappointed. “Good point.”

Faelen looked disappointed as well. “So we can’t get in?” he asked him, his ears folded against his head.

“Not without a key of some kind,” Drayce answered. “Though I am insatiably curious, I can’t do anything right now. No way my lock-picking kit can help me here.”

“The key is likely hidden somewhere within Yggdrasil,” Kamali added as he, too, stepped away from the sealed door. “I also suspect that one of the ancient warlocks who sealed the forest are the ones who created this treasure chamber, too.”

Drayce folded his arms across his chest in thought. Yeah, that made sense. And if that was the case, the only way past the door was to get a hold of that key. And chances were, finding it involved a few tricks and traps of it own.

“I think you’re right,” Drayce said as he dropped his arms from his chest and shook his head slightly. “Never mind that now. Let’s get back to the Crescentia. The sooner we remove this spell from Caelem, the safer he will be.”

“Sounds good,” Blayke agreed as they turned to head back to the entrance.

But as they did, Drayce noticed that Nashoba lingered back and appeared to be staring in one direction, his ears pointed forward. His head was low, but he wasn’t growling. He appeared to be observing something.

He barely faltered, only turning away when Faelen nudged him softly with his hand.

Drayce couldn’t help himself. He had to ask. “Is something bothering Nashoba?”

Faelen looked up at him, his ear slightly deflated as a nervous expression appeared on his face. “Yeah. He’s been acting strangely since we entered the labyrinth.”

So he wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Could he still be on edge from yesterday?” Blayke asked, his brow slightly furrowed as he glanced suspiciously at their surroundings.

Faelen, however, shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Let’s just head on out,” Drayce instructed as he ushered them all to start walking again.

However, he lingered back slightly and looked in the direction that Nashoba had been transfixed in. In a northerly direction, across the pool of still water in the centre of the floor.

It was perhaps around midday now, so the sunlight was brighter than when they first entered. He couldn’t necessarily see anything across the water. Nothing in that open clearing. Nothing obvious.

But he felt that there were eyes on him. Felt that there was something there in the shadows of the trees across the water. Or rather someone. Hiding somewhere in that open field in the middle of the floor, close to where they had discovered Caelem.

“Drayce! Let’s go!” Blayke called out to him.

“Coming!” Drayce replied as he jogged to catch up with the others, still feeling those eyes on him. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s hard to believe I’m already 16 chapters into this saga. Turning out a lot longer than I had originally planned, but oh well :D Hope you enjoy reading~!

When Drayce and the others returned to the Crescentia with the materials they had been sent to gather they found that Shashi had slightly rearranged the sitting room, specifically the spot in front of the fireplace. It made sense in a way as they needed an open area to conduct the ritual that would help free Caelem from his burden.

“How did you all go?” Ashton asked them as they entered the sitting room.

“We managed to recover three different types of stones,” Drayce answered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small knapsack with the precious stones inside. “Zohar said that these will do. Kamali also gathered the flower needed.”

Ashton nodded his head, obviously satisfied with their work. “Good, no trouble? What about the guard you wanted to speak with?”

Drayce handed the stones to Zohar who headed over to where Shashi stood in front of the fireplace. “Didn’t encounter a single monster, surprisingly,” he answered. “I was able to speak with Virgil pretty easily too. He admitted that he hadn’t seen anything suspicious but will keep a lookout for us.”

He won’t mention that prickly feeling of being watched he got while in the labyrinth. Ashton was a worry-wart at the best of times. Didn’t need him fussing over something Drayce couldn’t even prove. Sure he was told to trust his gut but he still needed physical proof.

No matter. They were safe within the Crescentia.

“Where’s Caelem?” Drayce asked instead.

“In his room with Fiorello,” Ashton answered before a sympathetic look appeared on his face. “He’s a little nervous as I’m sure you can understand.”

Oh absolutely. If Drayce was in his shoes he’d be nervous as hell, too.

“Drayce,” Shashi called out to him. “We will need to draw a chalk circle on the ground.”

Drayce turned to look over at Shashi to find him standing with Zohar. They stood together in front of the cleared area, Shashi with an ancient book in his arms and Zohar with a yellowing scroll open in his hands.

“Do whatever you need to do,” Drayce said in response. “I’m going to head up and check on Caelem.”

“Yes, the ritual will be able to take place soon,” Shashi stated as he flipped a page in his book.

“Ok, good,” Drayce said before he turned to head upstairs.

The sooner they got this over with the better. He didn’t know what the ritual was going to entail but he had been reassured that it wasn’t going to hurt him. But it would be uncomfortable. That was due to the fact that Caelem had been carrying that spell on his back for years so was part of his soul or spirit. It wasn’t going to be easy to remove it from him completely, but it really needed to be done.

He quickly ascended the stairs but didn’t go directly to Caelem’s room. He stopped by his own in order to drop of his armour, shield and weapon. No point barging into Caelem’s room still decked out in his explorer’s gear, right?

After he was done getting changed into a set of more casual clothing he immediately headed in the direction of Caelem’s room. The door was partly open but Drayce knocked on it nonetheless. He was nosy as shit (as a lot of people liked to rudely remind him) but still had good manners after all. He pushed it open and stepped inside.

“Hey Caelem, how you doing?” he immediately asked.

Caelem immediately perked up from where he sat on the edge of his bed. He had a few white bandages that were visible but they were minor, simply covering small scrapes and abrasions. Fiorello was sat in a chair by his bed with a book in his hands. There were a couple of empty medicine bottles littering the bedside table.

“You’re back,” Caelem said as he hastily pushed himself to his feet and nervously wrung his hands in front of him. “D-did you get everything? You didn’t get into any trouble did you?”

Drayce smiled reassuringly at Caelem. “Piece of cake. Didn’t encounter a single monster and got everything needed.”

Caelem was visibly relieved by that. But he soon tensed again and clutched his hands tightly in front of him. He must be realising that the ritual to help him was actually going ahead.

“Is...is the ritual going to happen soon?” Caelem asked nervously.

“Yeah, they’re preparing as we speak,” Drayce replied.

“Very good,” Fiorello was the one to say as she closed his book and slid out of his seat. “It really would be best to remove this spell from Caelem as soon as possible.”

Drayce heard a slight sense of concern in Fiorello’s voice. He also had an obvious frown on his lips as he gazed critically at Caelem. It made Drayce realise that maybe his fears that the spell on Caelem’s back was actually detrimental to his health were true.

Even so, Caelem was nervous. They were doing it for him but if he was too scared to try they could take a break or something to help ease his nerves. It really was for his benefit but that didn’t take away the fact that it was nerve wracking for him.

“Are you alright with this?” Drayce asked Caelem with a hint of concern in his voice.

Caelem looked over at him and it was easy to see the tension in his shoulders. He stared at Drayce for a moment before he looked away to the floor. His ears folded back slightly in apprehension.

Drayce walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be ok. I’ll be honest in saying I don’t know what will happen during this ritual, but I promise to do whatever is necessary to help you and protect you. You truly are safe here.”

Slowly Caelem turned his face towards him. There was a hint of disbelief in his gaze, but it wasn’t that he doubted his words. Drayce didn’t get that kind of feeling from him. It was more towards not truly understanding his compassion towards him.

However slowly a look of determination appeared in Caelem’s eyes and he nodded his head. “Yes, I understand. I’m…ready to do this.”

Drayce squeezed his shoulder. “Then let’s do this. Get this out of the way so that you can get back to living the life you want.”

Caelem nodded his head again, his determination growing. “Yes.”

Caelem had made up his mind. It was time.

With Caelem and Fiorello in tow, Drayce led them down the stairs and into the sitting room. It seemed that they were getting closer to completing the preparations necessary for the ritual. A large magic circle was drawn upon the hard wood floor. Lettering and symbols Drayce didn’t truly understand was etched inside and outside the circle. Shashi was anointing some kind of oil to a piece of parchment while Zohar crouched within the circle and was finishing off the writings.

Drayce didn’t need to turn to look at Caelem to feel that his nervousness had returned. But he obviously didn’t flee, so that was a good sign.

Shashi looked up from what he was doing to glance over at them when he heard them enter. “It looks intimidating, but we assure you it’s not as bad as it looks,” he immediately comforted.

Zohar looked over at them also as he stood up tall. “Preparations are complete,” he said as his eyes shifted toward Caelem. “All that is left to be done is for you to give your consent.”

Caelem drew in a deep breath as he squared his shoulders. “I’m ready. I want to be free of this burden.”

“Good,” Zohar said, sounding pleased as he stepped away from the circle. “Then allow us to take care of the rest. Come, stand in the circle.”

There was nothing more that Drayce could offer Caelem so all he could do was step back as Caelem stepped forward. It was all up to Zohar and Shashi now. He had trust and faith in the two. It was going to be all right.

“The spell is upon your back, correct?” Shashi asked as he handed a piece of ribbon to Caelem. “We will need to have access to your back. Please tie your hair.”

Caelem retrieved the ribbon from Shashi and dutifully raked his hands through his hair in order to pull it back into a high ponytail. He tried the ribbon around his hair a couple of times before tightly tying it off.

“We will need to see your back, too,” Shashi continued.

Caelem reached down to the hem of his shirt but he notably paused. He was understandably nervous about removing his shirt and exposing his back.

“Just enough for us to see your back,” Shashi said in an understanding way. “Feel free to hold your shirt against your shirt for added security. Turn to face the fireplace if you want something else to look at.”

That seemed to satisfy Caelem enough. He turned his back to everyone to face the fireplace as instructed. He then slowly reached around to lift up the back of his shirt. He pulled it up over his head, but he kept his arms in his sleeves and he clutched the piece of clothing against his chest like a safety blanket.

Caelem’s back was lean and subtly muscular. Drayce wasn’t sure why he was expecting to see some sort of scars, but was pleased nonetheless to see that the skin seemed free of any markings. There wasn’t anything of note to look at actually, but that was because the spell itself was supposedly invisible until it came into contact with some kind of gemstone.

As Zohar and Shashi moved to stand on opposite sides of the magic circle, Drayce felt a hand land on his shoulder. He turned to see that Ashton was beside him with a slightly concerned look on his face.

“Maybe you should step out for this,” Ashton unexpectedly suggested.

Drayce blinked in confusion. “No, I want to be here for Caelem.”

“It won’t be easy to watch,” Ashton added.

Drayce was about to ask him what he meant as he had been reassured that it wouldn’t hurt Caelem. Make him uncomfortable, but not actually hurt him. That was what Shashi and Zohar both promised him. But a sudden and bright flash of light caused him to immediately turn his attention back to the ritual.

The chalk etchings on the floor were glowing with a bright white light as Shashi and Zohar both began to talk in a tongue that Drayce did not understand fully, but recognised that it was that of ancient Celestian. The words and symbols within the circle shimmered one by one as the very air of the room seemed to tremble.

The light then seemed to take on the form of white smoke. It curled up from the floor and began to swirl around Caelem, snaking up his legs to his back. But the second the smoke touched his back, Caelem let out an unexpected yelp. Either from surprise or pain, it wasn’t certain. But he soon began to tremble after that and seemed to find it difficult to stay on his feet.

Caelem’s sporadic trembling quickly turned into full body shuddered as the white smoke accumulated on his back. Symbols on his skin flickered in and out of view.

W-was this supposed to happen?

Instinctively reacting to someone else’s discomfort, Drayce was about to halt the ritual but was pulled back by both Ashton keeping a firm grip on his shoulder and Kamali wrapping both of his arms around his arm.

“It’s almost done,” Kamali said as he pressed his face against Drayce’s arm.

Before Drayce could respond the white light of the magic circle abruptly faded and Caelem fell to his knees. He kept his arms folded across his chest and grasped at his shoulders as he leaned forward and rested his forehead against the floor.

The second Kamali released his hold on his arm Drayce quickly rushed forward and crouched down next to Caelem. His reached out toward him but paused as he wasn’t sure where to touch him. Caelem trembled and shook in a sporadic manner as he panted.

“I…can’t feel it anymore,” Caelem suddenly gasped through his heavy, frantic breathing. “I didn’t…realise how heavy it…was…”

Drayce released a sigh as he leaned forward on his knees to wrap an arm around Caelem’s shoulders and pulled him toward him. He cradled his head against his chest as Caelem rested fully against him.

Whether the spell was successfully transferred to something else no longer mattered. Caelem was free from his burden. That was more than enough.

“Well, that certainly was quite dramatic,” Fiorello unexpectedly quipped.

“Yes, rituals and magic can be quite theatrical at times,” Shashi added in a nonchalant way.

Drayce rested his chin atop of Caelem’s head and looked over at Shashi. “Was it successful?” he asked, knowing that Caelem would probably want to know as well. To go through all that discomfort and not have anything to show for it would be the biggest blow of all.

“Yes, it was successful,” Zohar was the one to answer.

Kamali moved to crouch on the other side of Caelem and rested a hand on his back. Amazingly, Caelem didn’t even flinch at the touch. He must either be exhausted or his back no longer gave him any discomfort.

“I can’t sense any mana here,” Kamali exclaimed.

So Caelem really was free of his burden. Thank goodness. But…

“He’s exhausted,” Fiorello suddenly said, as if knowing that Drayce was about to ask him how Caelem was health wise. “Help him put his shirt back on and then help him to his room.”

“Right,” Drayce said as he and Kamali helped to pull Caelem’s shirt back over his head, the Therian offering no resistance.

Slinging one of Caelem’s arms over his shoulder and with Kamali doing the same with his other arm, Drayce and Kamali slowly helped him to his feet. Caelem was shaky at the beginning, but he soon found his legs. He relied on them heavily, but he was able to support himself nonetheless.

Slowly, Drayce and Kamali helped Caelem from the room and to the stairs. It took some time for Caelem to navigate them in his exhaustion, but he managed. His room was thankfully close to the stairs. Kamali momentarily removed his hold on Caelem to open the door to his room before he hurried over to his bed and pulled back the blankets.

Drayce helped Caelem to his bed and let him drop onto it rather unceremoniously. And it appeared that he had fallen asleep instantly. That, of course, worried Drayce but reassured himself that it really was just from exhaustion. Fiorello would have been here, refusing to leave his side if it was another untoward.

“He will be able to recover quickly now,” Kamali said as he draped a blanket over Caelem. “With that spell no longer tapping into his spirit, he will find that he will have more energy and strength.”

So the spell truly was draining him of his energy…

“Glad that we were able to remove the thing,” Drayce said.

Kamali nodded as he turned to face Drayce and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’ll watch over him. Why don’t you head down stairs to see if brother has learnt anything?”

“Yeah, he’s probably already researching it, right?” Drayce quipped in return and gained a smile from Kamali. “But I’ll do that. And I’ll leave Caelem in your care. I’m sure Fiorello will be up shortly as well.”

With another quick smile, Drayce turned on his heel and quickly left the room. Now that the relief that Caelem was free from his burden had settled, he was curious about whether or not they were able to successful move the spell onto another platform, so to speak. If the spell was eating into Caelem’s spirt, then it needed something to sustain it. Chances were it won’t be able to linger very long on the parchment without constant mana injecting into it.

Would be best for everyone involved if they found the Radiant Moon so that the spell was no longer necessary and they can return it to its rightful place.

As Drayce began to descend the stairs he immediately noted that, like he had predicted, Fiorello was walking up. He was about to tell the botanist that Caelem was asleep when Fiorello interrupted him with an exasperated sigh.

“The idiot has left already.”

Drayce paused in his steps for a moment and furrowed his brow. “What? Zohar?”

Fiorello sniffed as he folded his arms into the sleeves of his coat, looking miffed. “Indeed.”

“But why?” Drayce asked but he wasn’t necessarily asking that question to Fiorello as he had already moved passed him on the stairs and jogged to the front door.

He threw open the door and immediately stepped outside. “Zohar, wait!” he called out the second he spied the necromancer heading toward the front gates.

Thankfully, Zohar stopped and turned around to regard him with a curious look as Drayce jogged over to him.

“Leaving so soon?” Drayce asked.

“I have done what was needed,” Zohar returned. “There is no need for me to linger any longer.”

Drayce shook his head. “You can stay, you know? We don’t mind.”

“Perhaps,” Zohar said as he turned to face him fully, the two halves of his coffin floating silently on either side of him. “But there is something I need to do.”

Drayce furrowed his brow slightly before he abruptly remembered Fiorello saying something similar to him in the labyrinth. Fiorello mentioned something about Zohar needed to focus on another goal. He hadn’t a clue what his current goal was or why he was so intent on it. And it wasn’t his place to ask. Still…

“Is it something that you have to do alone?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“I feel it is,” Zohar answered simply.

“But is it really? What about Fiorello?” Drayce implored subtly.

“It’s for the best.” Again, Zohar’s reply was swift and blunt, yet offering nothing.

Drayce folded his arms behind his back and tilted his head to the side. “Is it best for you, though?”

That seemed to catch Zohar off guard as he frowned slightly but his expression soon smoothed out into a look of stoniness. However, there was an ever so slight curving of his lips. Like a small smile.

“Hm?” Zohar uttered. “Am I causing you concern?”

Drayce shrugged lightly as he righted himself. “You helped us a lot today. It’s just…sad that you won’t let others return the favour, you know?”

Zohar’s smile grew more noticeable and he shook his head. “You’re too kind-hearted. Don’t waste that on me.”

“Worrying for another is never a waste,” Drayce retorted before he sighed. “Listen, do visit again, ok? I’m sure Fiorello would appreciate it.”

Zohar started at him for a moment, his sharp blue eyes studying him carefully. His expression was stoic, and yet Drayce couldn’t help but feel that there was a sense of regret in his gaze.

“…You are an unusual one,” Zohar finally murmured.

That was a lot coming from a necromancer. He wasn’t entirely sure how to take it. Oh, whatever. He was going to take it as a compliment!

“Perhaps I am,” Drayce said with a smile and a shrug. “Nothing wrong with that, is there?”

Zohar made a noise that was similar to a chuckle but not quite. “…Perhaps not.”

Drayce knew that there was no way he could convince the necromancer to join his guild if he didn’t want to. He wasn’t going to force anyone to join. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t offer a position, right?

“If you’re ever looking for a guild, Angelward would be happy to have you,” Drayce said.

“…We’ll see,” Zohar finally relented. “Until then, goodbye for now.”

“Yeah, for now,” Drayce agreed for now. “See ya later.”

“Indeed.”

Zohar then reached out his hand toward him. Drayce figured that he wanted to shake his hand for whatever reason so reached out his own hand. But when Zohar took his hand in his, he turned it so that the back of Drayce’s was facing him before he unexpectedly and very surprisingly kissed the back of his hand.

Drayce’s mouth dropped open in shock as Zohar’s lips lingered on the back of his hand longer than was necessary. Not that he knew how long a person’s lips should linger on the back of someone’s hand or well, why someone would want to kiss the back of his hand and stuff, but it felt like a long time.

And most surprisingly of all Drayce didn’t immediately jerk his hand back.

Zohar finally pulled back and released his hold on Drayce’s hand. Only then did he pull his hand back and unintentionally pressed it against his chest.

“Until next we meet then,” Zohar said before he turned and walked away silently.

“S-sure,” Drayce stuttered awkwardly as he watched until Zohar was out of sight.

When he was alone, Drayce looked down at the back of his hand and just stared at it. Nothing about it had changed at all but he still stared at it in wonder.

Well…Zohar was certainly a strange guy, wasn’t he?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A relatively short chapter this week, but it’s more of an info-dump anyway. And chances are the next chapter will be one, too. But the action will return again soon I promise. So will Zohar, but we’ll have to wait for that too~ For now, enjoy the necessary info-dump~

The back of Drayce’s hand continued to tingle strangely as he made his way back through the front doors of the Crescentia and inside. He closed the door behind him out of habit and found himself stilling. His thoughts lingered on Zohar and though the kiss to the back of his hand was strange, he argued that the necromancer was probably just being polite. It was probably something he did to everyone, right?

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts when he heard the sound of footsteps as they approached him.

“Drayce!” Faelem called out as he raced over to him with Blayke trailing behind him. “Is Caelem ok? Blayke wouldn’t let me watch the ritual.”

Relieved, Drayce glanced over at Blayke and gave him a purely grateful look. Blayke understood and silently nodded his head. Whether Ashton had warned him beforehand or not, he was grateful that Blayke had taken the incentive and kept Faelen away. Faelen didn’t need to witness something like that.

“It was a little draining on him, so he’s resting,” Drayce answered as he gave the rover a small smile. “Both Fiorello and Kamali are watching over him.”

“So what happens next?” Blayke asked as he folded his arms across his chest.

Drayce raked a hand through his hair as he looked around. “Good question. Where did Ashton and Shashi go?”

“Where else?” Blayke asked as he jabbed his thumb toward the ceiling. “The library.”

Well, of course. Shashi was sure to be getting right to work. In that case Drayce better get his butt into gear also.

“Right. Let’s head on up, too,” Drayce said as he headed to the stairs and started his ascent. Blayke and Faelen followed him, both taking a side of him and Drayce turned to look to Faelen on his right. “Where did Nashoba take off to?”

“I let him out in the back garden,” Faelen answered with a shrug before a small smile appeared on his lips. “I think he saw a squirrel.”

Drayce laughed at the thought of Nashoba chasing squirrels. “Yeah, there’s probably a few of them out there. Probably a few rabid acorns as well.”

Faelen shared his amusement before he tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Hey, where did Zohar go?”

“He said he had something he needed to do,” Drayce replied with a slight sense of disappointment in his voice.

“Aw, I thought we’d have a new guildmate…” Faelen looked as disappointed as Drayce felt.

And he felt more so now because of the fact that Faelen seemed to have taken a liking to him also and that he truly would be a good addition to the team. But Drayce wouldn’t force someone to do something they didn’t want to do. And he wouldn’t try to coerce them either. He knew that making such demands or relying on tricks to entrap them would only lead to bitterness and resentment.

No, Drayce truly did not want that. Trust and thoughtfulness was going to be a lot more successful for him in the long run. He wanted enthusiastic teammates after all.

“I gave him the offer and he promised to think about it,” Drayce told Faelen as they found their way up the second flight of stairs. “Anyway, let’s focus on what we’re going to do next. We might be one step closer to finding the Radiant Moon or this spell is leading us somewhere else.”

They walked to the third floor in silence and quickly entered the library. Just as Blayke said Ashton and Shashi already stood within the many book cases as they plucked off books from the shelves in hopes it would prove useful to them. And on the table in the middle of the library surrounded by a several candles and the three different kinds of mining stones was the roll of parchment that was used to be the vessel for the spell that plagued Caelem.

“Drayce,” Ashton was the first to notice them enter. “How Caelem?”

“Fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow,” Drayce answered. “But both Kamali and Fiorello are watching over him. Kamali is adamant that he can’t detect any mana from him.”

“Yes, the ritual was thankfully successful,” Shashi said as he walked from the maze of bookcases with a large, thick book in his arms. “Zohar is quite knowledgeable with rituals and spells. I would like to work with him again.”

Another person who had taken a liking to Zohar. If only Zohar would allow others to help him in return with whatever he was working on.

“He said that he had something he needed to do, but I gave him the offer to join whenever he’s ready,” Drayce said as he walked over to the mana infused scroll and paused in front of it.

He glanced down at the parchment to not see a thing. But he trusted Shashi when he said that the ritual was able to remove the spell from Caelem completely and transfer it to this piece of mana infused parchment. There was one question that had been on his mind from the beginning.

“I have a quick question; is it true that this spell had attached itself to Caelem’s aura and it was through his aura that it was able to maintain itself to prevent from fading?” Drayce asked Shashi.

Shashi lifted his gaze from the book he was idly flipping through and slowly nodded his head. “Yes, that is true,” he answered as he snapped the book shut in his hand and lazily folded his arms across his chest. “I take it your next question will be how long will we be able to maintain this same spell on this piece of parchment?”

Drayce grinned. It was awesome to have someone in sync with him. “I take it you have a way?”

“A temporary one, yes,” Shashi replied as he set the book aside. “With the use of those stones you have gathered today I should be able to maintain a constant flow of mana to allow for the spell to continue existing. But as I said; it’s temporary. It won’t last more than a couple of days.”

Drayce winced. “So that means we need to find this Radiant Moon of Compassion before this spell fades?”

Shashi nodded his head again. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”

Well, it looked like they were going to have to push the completion of the first mission back even further. He was sure that Ramus wouldn’t mind. Especially if he brought back the Radiant Moon to him as compensation.

“So that leads to the question of whether or not you were able to translate anything,” Drayce said.

Unexpectedly and disappointingly, Shashi shook his head as he set down the book onto the table. “The words are invisible to the naked eye.”

Drayce furrowed his brow. “So how are we going to read them?”

“That's where you come in,” Shashi said as he picked up a white stone from the table and turned to face him.

Drayce dumbly pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Come,” Shashi said as he held out the cloudy agate toward him with an open palm. “Take this gemstone and press it to the parchment. Keep your hand in contact with the stone.”

Drayce retrieved the stone from Shashi and though cautious, he was also curious. He held the stone with his thumb and forefinger and he moved the stone toward the parchment and an unexpected shimmer of light rippled over the parchment. He instinctively drew his hand back and the light disappeared. More curious than before he quickly pressed the stone in the centre of the parchment.

The parchment shimmered with a gentle, white light. Then, seemingly flowing out from the cloudy agate, words and symbols began to form across the parchment.

“Hah?” Drayce uttered he surprise before a sense of realisation struck him. “Oh, is this what Caelem meant? About the light of a certain crystal was needed to make the words visible?”

“Yes, it seems so,” Shashi said as he pressed against his side to get a close look at the parchment. “Now don't move. I'll need to take some notes.”

“You can read this?” Drayce asked as Shashi began to quickly scribble down onto a blank notepad.

“Yes, all of it,” Shashi replied confidently.

Drayce fell silent and remained perfectly still to allow Shashi to quickly jot everything down. He was curious as to why Shashi wanted him to the one to hold the stone against the parchment when Ashton had been in the room with him before he entered. But he figured that he wanted Ashton to scour the bookcases for anything useful.

“Interesting,” Shashi murmured after he finished writing and lifted the notepad to read it once more.

“What did you learn?” Ashton was the one to ask as he headed over to them with a book in his hands also. Behind him were Blayke and Faelen, they too with books of their own. No doubt they were coerced into holding them for Ashton as he continued to research.

Shashi continued to study his notes. “It seems that this spell is known as Moon Legacy.”

Seeing that Shashi didn’t currently need to look at the parchment, Drayce pulled the stone away and the lettering and symbols promptly disappeared. “Not much of a legacy,” he muttered idly.

“Indeed,” Shashi said as he walked over to the other side of the table and stood in front of an open book. He kept his gaze on his notes as he seemingly idly ran a finger of the page of the book on the table. “I get the feeling, though, that when it was first created it was out of necessity. But resentment of having to carry it turned to spite and spite turned to forcing this burden upon others.”

That was a possibility. Perhaps the spell, the Moon legacy was crafted by a Celestian in hopes of protecting the Radiant Moon from those who wish to abuse its power and status further. But the legacy needed a supply of support, a supply of mana. So somewhere down the line someone would resent having to carry such a burden. Forcing it onto someone else to save oneself isn’t all that unreasonable.

Well, it was, but Drayce could understand why all the same. Being forced to carry a burden because of someone else was nothing more than completely unfair. No one should have to carry on the burden of another when they themselves were completely innocent.

“Does it say anything else?” Drayce asked.

Shashi nodded his head as he remained transfixed on his notes. “It refers to the Radiant Moon, yes, but it also refers to something else. Something about the Forgotten Princess.”

Drayce perked up a little. “That must be referring to the princess who stole the Radiant Moon all those years ago,” he suggested. “According to Ramus there is no more mention of her in any of the royal achieves.”

“Sounds like they wiped their hands of her,” Ashton said. “Makes sense in a way. It was soon after the end of the Legendary War. Tensions within the four races were still extremely high. For a member of the Earthlain royal family to commit an act of betrayal and potential sabotage would be seen as treason to many. So her punishment would have been banishment.”

Drayce couldn’t help but wince. “That would cause her to become even more spiteful, wouldn’t it?”

“More likely than not,” Ashton answered with a slight frown on his lips.

Even though she had brought it upon herself because of her own petty jealousy, Drayce still felt sorry for her. Still, she really should have known that her actions would have far reaching repercussions. Did she not see that? Or did she just not care and thought that she was above punishment?

Drayce turned to look at Shashi and indicated idly at the parchment. “Is this spell pointing in the direction of the Radiant Moon or this Forgotten Princess?”

Shashi finally lifted his gaze from his notes and looked across the table at Drayce. “It alludes to a location, however which one I do not know. It is possible that the mentioning of the Radiant Moon was a decoy in order for treasure hunters such as yourself to locate this missing princess rather than the Radiant Moon of Compassion.”

From the corner of his eye Drayce noticed Ashton bristle protectively. “Wouldn’t be the first time such a thing happened,” he muttered.

Drayce nodded his head slowly and pressed his lips together into a thin line as he thought to himself for a moment. “Well, it could also be possible that this Forgotten Princess took the Radiant Moon with her to her grave. If this Moon Legacy is pointing to the grave of this Forgotten Princess, then it’s still worth following. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered after all.”

“Very true indeed,” Shashi agreed.

“Is there anything else?”

“There is,” Shashi said as he glanced down at the parchment that sat on the table between them. “This Moon Legacy is what is needed to reveal the location of whatever it is referring to. So you will need to take it into the labyrinth with you.”

Drayce glanced down at the parchment as well. He honestly had figured as much due to what Caelem had told them earlier.

“Caelem said that when he reached a certain corner of the first floor that his back started hurting,” Drayce muttered. “That must be where this spell is pointing to.”

Having stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange, Faelen timidly piped up. “We’re going to go look for it? What about those bandits?”

Drayce turned to look over at the young rover to find him looking completely out of his depth, and yet there was a sense of intrigue in his gaze. “Yeah,” he said as a frown tugged at his lips. “Those bandits might want their treasure map back, too.”

Ashton once again subtly bristled protectively. “If they know you have it, they might wait for you to do all the hard work,” he warned.

Another possibility for him to contend with. Wait until he found the Radiant Moon or possible location to said treasure before they pounce and steal if from him. If they went ahead and kidnapped Caelem simply because a necromancer sensed the mana on his back, he would be safe to assume that they would do anything to get their hands on treasure and money.

“Should we tell Ramus with what we know?” Blayke suddenly questioned.

Drayce carded his hand through his hair again. “I think we should. He helped to point us in the direction of the Radiant Moon of Compassion. There is also a possibility that he had done his own researching.”

“I think speaking with Ramus is a good idea,” Ashton spoke up. “Mention the bandits to him and perhaps he might increase guard patrols to ward off the bandits.”

Or at least deter them from doing anything stupid like kidnapping someone again. He was still incredibly pissed at them for that.

“Right, let’s get going Blayke,” Drayce said to Blayke before he turned back to Ashton. “I’ll leave further research to you and Shashi for now. And Faelen? You stay here, too. With Kamali and Fiorello watching over Caelem, you and Nashoba are in charge of the guildhouse until I get back, ok?”

“A-ah, right!” Faelen dutifully replied.

Drayce reached out to ruffle his hair. “You’ll be fine Just keep everyone inside for now, ok? We won’t be long.”

With that, Drayce and Blayke walked out of the library to head to the council hall.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter and another one filled with information, bit I promise that the next chapter will lead us back to some action. Please be patient~

“It was less than twenty-four hours since we've been here last,” Blayke commented as both he and Drayce stepped from the carriage the moment it pulled to a stop in front of the Council Hall.

“I know,” Drayce said with a half-smile as he closed to the door to the carriage and singled to the driver that they were free. “He's going to get sick of us really quick, isn't he?”

Blayke snorted lightly as the two of them quickly made their way up the tall stone stairs to the hall and pushed their way through the usual masses. “Well, it would prove to him that he made the right choice in hiring you as a treasure hunter.”

“Awww, you're so nice~” Drayce couldn’t help but tease, but only earned him a roll of the eyes from Blayke.

They quickly made their way into the halls of the council and made a beeline to Ramus. Thankfully he didn’t appear to be speaking with anyone at the moment so that allowed them to hurry straight up to him.

“Hm?” Ramus murmured as he lifted his head up and a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes. “Oh, hello once again.”

“Hey,” Drayce greeted in return with a half wave of his hand. “Sorry, we know it's getting late but we need to have another little chat.”

“Of course,” Ramus immediately but politely replied as he made a motion with his hand to follow him. “Let's head into my office then.”

Once more, in less than twenty-four hours, Drayce and Blayke followed Ramus to his office. He ushered them in first and they quickly moved over to the usual two chairs and sat down as he closed the door behind them. He had a mixture of interest and mild concern on his face as he sat down in his chair to face Drayce and Blayke from across his desk.

“You have news on the Radiant Moon, I take it?” Ramus immediately asked as he folded his hands atop of his desk and gave them his full and undivided attention.

There was no point in beating around the bush. Just lay it all on the table and see what they could do next afterwards.

“Yes and no,” Drayce answered. “Good news is that we were able to transfer the spell on Caelem's back onto a piece of mana infused parchment. The sorta good news is that it while it does mention the Radiant Moon; it also makes reference to someone called The Forgotten Princess.”

Ramus’ eyes subtly widened before he furrowed his brow in a confused but still intrigued manner. “Forgotten Princess?” he repeated. “Could that be referring to the princess who had allegedly stolen the Radiant Moon all those years ago?”

“We seem to think so, too,” Drayce answered as rested back into his chair. “Also some more information you might be interested in. The spell that Caelem had carried is called Moon Legacy and Shashi, a symbolist and a friend of mine, believes that the Moon Legacy was first created out of necessity but was soon regarded as a burden and forced onto others, which was what happened to Caelem. Also that Moon Legacy is the key, or rather compass, that will lead to possibly the Radiant Moon or even something connected to the Forgotten Princess.”

“That's...” Ramus murmured softly, truly not knowing what to say. He honestly hadn’t expected any of the information Drayce had just delivered to him.

Blayke uttered a sigh as he leaned forward the rest his elbows on his knees and furrowed his brown into a serious expression. “Both or either, they are important to the royal family, so we can assume that should anyone else learn of this Moon Legacy, they may become interested as well.”

“Th-these bandits you mentioned before,” Ramus stuttered as he leaned forward. “Do you believe they knew of this information?”

Drayce wished he could ease the prince’s concerns but he couldn’t safely say one way or the other. And he was certain that Ramus would appreciate his honesty over his comfort in regards of such matters.

“Hopefully not,” Drayce said. “We're hoping that they figured that a powerful spell would lead to a pricey treasure. However, we can't rule out that they didn't know. A necromancer was believed to have detected mana from Caelem which was the reason why he was targeted. He surely knew something beforehand.”

Ramus nodded his head as he slowly leaned back into his chair, uncharacteristically slouching. “To think that there is a possibility to learn more of...”

Ramus was no doubt interested in learning more of his ancestors, especially more on the one that was banished from the royal family. But there was another person Drayce himself was interested in. Shashi had mentioned that the Moon Legacy may have been created out of necessity. Could the Moon Mage have been the one to have crafted it?

“Do you happen to have any information regarding this Moon Mage?” Drayce asked.

Ramus immediately straightened his posture and leaned forward slightly to pick up a thin book that sat on the corner of his desk. Now that Drayce’s gaze was drawn to the desk he had noticed that there appeared to be more books and scrolls than there was yesterday.

“I have been searching, yes,” Ramus admitted as he placed the book in front of him and opened it. “From what I have learnt is that the Moon Mage was young but highly regarded. He reportedly held powerful psychic abilities, especially in regards to Divine Intuition. When he gifted the Earthlain Royal Family with the Radiant Moon, many referred to the offering as a blessing from the Moon. He and the Earthlain prince had developed a close bond and it was through that friendship that the two races formed an alliance once more.”

“So the princess stealing the Radiant Moon could have potentially caused tensions between the two races to reform,” Blayke commented. “Is that enough to earn her banishment?”

“Not just banishment, but virtually wiped from the royal achieves,” Drayce added.

Ramus sighed as he shook his head and closed the book. “I'm afraid I do not know. Times back then were very different to how they are now.”

Drayce folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in through with the other. “That's true. So soon after the Legendary War, tensions would still be running high.”

There was something else gnawing at him though. About that princess in particular.

“There is something that’s been bugging me,” Drayce said as he dropped his arms from his chest and leaned forward. “You said that the princess who stole the Radiant Moon was virtually wiped from the archives. That must mean that the Radiant Moon was extremely important to the Earthlain Royal Family. Or she had done something else either in the time period before and this was the last straw. Or in the days after the Radiant Moon's disappearance.”

Truthfully, though, those explanations didn’t sit right with him. He felt that something else was involved in all of this.

Ramus, however, didn’t appear at all surprised by the question. “I had wondered that, too, to be honest,” he admitted again. “But I'm afraid I haven't found any information on the princess involved. However, if she is being referred to as the Forgotten Princess, then perhaps there are some hidden documents of her fate.”

Blayke leaned back into his chair. “Do you think information on the Forgotten Princess could have been buried along with her? That is if we’re assuming that the mention of the Forgotten Princess in the Moon Legacy is actually pointing to her final resting place.”

“That's a possibility,” Drayce murmured before he shook his head slightly. “Another question though would be how old was she when she was placed in that tomb? Was she banished or was she fatally punished?”

Blayke roughly scratched the back of his neck. “Maybe it isn't a tomb at all then. Maybe it's something else to be considered a treasure. Like the books and scrolls of her before her banishment. A vault of sorts.”

Drayce turned to face Blayke and nodded his head. “You know, you're probably right. If she was banished after stealing the Radiant Moon, no doubt considered a traitor and hated for what she had done, who would build a tomb for her?”

“Someone who believes her to be innocent...?” Ramus murmured as he gazes off to the side in thought.

“Or an attempt to hide her involvement,” Blayke added with a shrug of his shoulders.

Drayce raked his hand through his hair once more. They were getting ahead of themselves. There was a lot for them to speculate on and assume, but at the moment they had no solid facts. So they shouldn’t assume anything or limit their options.

“At this point anything could be possible,” Drayce said. “The best thing we can do is to follow where this Moon Legacy leads us and go from there.”

They should probably return to the Crescentia as well. Ashton and Shashi were still researching and he was also concerned for Caelem. He knew that he was in safe hands with Fiorello watching over him, but he was still worried. He couldn’t help himself.

There was also a slight niggling feeling that made him cautious. Ever since he felt that prickly feeling of being watched in the labyrinth earlier that day he felt hyper vigilant. It may be nothing more than reasonable paranoia. Still he rather everyone to be together at the Crescentia.

“We just wanted you to know what we’ve learnt so far,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet and Blayke followed. “If we learn anything more, we’ll be sure to inform you.”

“Yes, please do,” Ramus said as he also took to his feet as if to show them out. “But take care of yourselves first. Do not do anything reckless.”

“Ah, don’t worry too much about us,” Drayce said with a smile. “I’m a professional treasure hunter, after all. I know my limitations. We’ll catch you later.”

Both Drayce and Blayke left Ramus’ office quickly and immediately made a beeline to the outside where carriages often gathered to drop off or pick up visitors of the council hall. Luckily just as they stepped out into the courtyard a carriage rolled up and dropped off a small group of explorers. As soon as the group paid the driver, Drayce and Blayke approached him with their own request.

Naturally, he readily agreed. So they proceeded to give directions and climb into the carriage.

As soon as they began to move, Blayke slumped back into his seat and clutched at his forehead. “This has been one information dump after another lately. And we're not even official explorers yet.”

Drayce chuckled but it sound tired, even to him. “Been one hell of a couple of days, that's for sure. But that’s the life of a treasure hunter.”

Blayke dropped his hand from his forehead and folded his arms across his chest. “So what happens next?”

“Next we head back into the labyrinth,” Drayce answered as he glanced out the window to stare idly at the passing scenery. “The Moon Legacy is believed to activate when it was near the location it is connected it to. Be it the Radiant Moon or something else to do with the Forgotten Princess.”

“Whether it's a tomb or another treasure chest, whatever is connected to the Forgotten Princess is likely to be the target of those bandits,” Blayke said with a slight frown on his lips. “Tombs hold countless treasures after all.”

“Very true,” Drayce said as he nodded and he felt a frown tug at his own lips. “We're going to need to be on our guard.”

The frown on Blayke’s face deepened. “Tsk. As if the monsters weren't bad enough.”

Drayce understood his frustration well. “The monsters we can deal with. It's the unpredictably of those bandits I don't like. Let's just head back to the Crescentia for now. It's getting dark already.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the journey to the Crescentia, both lost in their own thoughts. Drayce was musing not only about the information he learnt but rather what he should actually do tomorrow when they return to the labyrinth. The best thing for them to do is to pretend that they were hoping to complete the first mission.

He remembered Ashton’s warning about others wishing to take advantage of him because he was a treasure hunter. If those bandits were reckless enough to kidnap someone on a hunch, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that they may try to accost him into doing all the work while they take the rewards.

And there was also no doubt that they would take whatever they could get their hands on, either the Radiant Moon or information on the Forgotten Princess, and hold it for ransom. They could make a fortune through that method.

Drayce was pulled from his musing when the carriage abruptly pulled to a stop and it was then that he realised that they had reached the Crescentia. Slipping out of the carriage, Drayce paid the driver before he and Blayke quickly made their way up the stone path to the front entrance of their guildhouse and let themselves inside.

“We’re back!” Drayce called out as Blayke shut the door behind them.

“Welcome back!” Faelen greeted from top of the stairs with Nashoba sat at his heels.

“Hey,” Drayce greeted in return as he and Blayke ascended the stairs. “I see the place is still in one piece. Knew you could do it.”

“Heh,” Faelen chuckled, subtly thrilled at his trust in him before his expression faltered into that of relief. “But I'm glad you're back. Nashoba has been acting strangely. He keeps staring outside.”

Drayce glanced down at the white-furred wolf and noted that while he wasn’t tense or uneasy, he was still agitated by something. His ears would flick and twitch on occasion despite his eyes remaining forward.

“I see...” Drayce murmured as that sense of protectiveness in the pit of his stomach grew. He, however, placed a smile on his lips to cover up his own unease. “Anyway, how’s Caelem? I know he’s safe under Kamali and Fiorello’s watch, but has his awaken?”

“Not yet,” Faelen answered as he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of Caelem’s room. “But Fiorello says he should wake up soon.”

“Ah, good,” Drayce said with genuine relief. “And I assume Ashton and Shashi are still in the library?”

“Yep!” Faelen replied.

Well, back to the library they go then.

“Ah, you’re back,” Ashton greeted the moment that Drayce entered the library with Blayke and Faelen at his heel. “How did the meeting go?”

“Hey, Shashi, Ashton,” Drayce said as he walked over to the table in the centre of the table and stood before the Moon Legacy again. “As well as to be expected. Learn anything else?”

Shashi sat on the other side of the table across from where the Moon Legacy sat in a circle of candles and stones. Before him were several books and note pads with words scribbled on the scattered pieces of paper.

“A little bit more,” Shashi said as he tapped his pencil against his cheek but kept his gaze down on the book in front of him. “It says the Radiant Moon draws upon the light of the full moon to shine the light of truth in the darkness of deceit. If I am to assume anything, it means that the light emitted from the Radiant Moon can only be seen in the dark of night.”

Well, that would make a lot of sense actually.

“Wait,” Blayke called out from behind him. “So does that mean we have to go into the labyrinth at night?”

Shashi’s eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded his head. “It...seems that way.”

“When’s the next full moon?” Faelen was the one to ask.

“Two nights from now.”

A couple of days to prepare themselves then. Good. Plenty of time to go snooping about in the labyrinth. If they went charging in now that may only inspire those bandits to be more suspicious of them. As far as they were aware of they simply saved Caelem from that monster attack.

“Ok, that’s fine,” Drayce said. “I still want to head into the labyrinth tomorrow with the Moon Legacy. At least find the location it is pointing to. Even if we find nothing there at the time, we can return on the night of the full moon to see what happens.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Ashton said as he walked over to the table and placed down a book. “But for now I better make some dinner. Everyone is likely starving.”

Now that he mentioned it, Drayce was pretty hungry. He had missed lunch after all. Ok so he’ll have something to eat first, check in on Caelem to see if he was awake and get him something to eat before he headed to the drawing room to study the map.

Life of a treasure hunter sure was a busy one. Not that Drayce would have it any other way.


	19. Chapter 19

Drayce rested his elbows on the banister of the balcony that was attached to his room. It was night now, but he stood in the dark to gaze up at the mighty Yggdrasil tree. He had a great view of the tree, of the front courtyard of the Crescentia, and the streets out front. But his gaze was focused entirely on the tree and how it reached beyond what his eyes could see.

It truly did feel as if it could reach the heavens.

It was awe-inspiring, naturally. And to think he hadn’t even finished the first floor. But that was ok. He wasn’t in a rush to reach the top. There was more to the labyrinth than exploration. So much more to learn and to experience.

The sound of the front gates of the Crescentia as they creaked open pulled Drayce from his thoughts and he glanced down in curiosity that was mixed with caution. However his eyebrows shot up toward his hairline when he recognised the one who walked along the stone pathway to the front doors.

“Zohar?” Drayce whispered in surprise. His breath unexpectedly hitched in his throat when Zohar paused in his steps, tilted his head back, and looked directly up at him. Drayce found his breath again and leaned forward over the balcony banister a little.

“W-wait, I'll be right down!” he called out before he pushed back away from the banister and turned on his heel.

He broke out into a light jog as he made his way out of his room, down the stairs and toward the front doors. As he hastily unlocked the door and pushed them open, he wondered what brought Zohar to the Crescentia at night. Was there something wrong? Or was he just paying a visit?

“Zohar?” Drayce called out and felt a sense of relief when the blue-eyed necromancer had remained where he stood previously.

Before Drayce could ask him anything, Zohar spoke first. “I do wonder if there is an expiry date on your previous offer.”

Drayce blinked at the unusual question. “To join my guild? No, none.”

A small smile appeared on Zohar’s and nodded his head. “Ah, that is reassuring.”

Drayce felt a surge of optimism and took a half step forward. “You’re…joining?”

Unfortunately, Zohar shook his head slowly. “Not yet. There is something I need to confirm first, but…”

“Ah, ok,” Drayce said, unable to hide his disappointment. However he felt curious. If Zohar wasn’t visiting in regards to his offer to join, then what brought him to the Crescentia this night?

“So, uh,” he started as he wrung his hands in front of him and took a step forward. “What brings you here tonight?”

Only when Zohar pulled a few books from the crook of his arm did Drayce realise he had been carrying something the entire time. “I want to give you something,” Zohar said as he presented the books towards him.

“Huh?” Drayce uttered and took the steps necessary to reach him and to stand in front of him. He looked down at what Zohar was holding and he was immediately intrigued and curious. “Books?”

“They are reference books that I have acquired but I feel they are better off being a part of your extensive library,” Zohar explained simply.

Drayce retrieved the books from him and held them in front of him. He turned the one on top of the small piled to look at the front cover. “These...?”

“They detail myths and legends about rituals that have rumoured to have been conducted during the legendary war,” Zohar enlightened once more.

“Oh!” Drayce said in surprise and genuine interested, and probably with a hint of excitement, as he idly opened one of the books and idly flicked through the pages. “So it's possible that they could have information on the legendary treasures, too?”

Zohar made a sound that was similar to that of a chuckle, and yet not quite. “I believe you will find them most handy,” he said.

Drayce closed the book and rested his hand on the front cover, his fingers idly tracing the eccentric engraving upon the old leather. He looked up toward Zohar and smiled softly at him. “Thank you.”

For the longest time, Zohar just looked at him. He didn’t stare. Not really. Just…gazed at him as if he couldn’t quite understand him. Understand his gratitude toward him. He also appeared as if he was contemplating something. And internally struggling with a decision.

“They are better off with you,” Zohar unexpectedly said before he turned as if to leave.

“H-hey, do you have to go?” Drayce immediately blurted out in hopes of stopping him. “You can stay for a while, you know? Besides I...want to ask you something.”

Zohar paused for a second or two and finally turned to look at him. “...Very well,” he thankfully said. “I do suppose it shouldn't hurt to stay for a while.”

Drayce smiled at him. “That's right. Let’s talk inside. It’s rather cool out tonight.”

Zohar nodded his head and when Drayce turned to walk back into the Crescentia, Zohar was right behind him. They walked onto the porch and then inside in silence. Drayce motioned toward the sitting room, to which had the fire still burning brightly thankfully.

“What is it you wish to ask me?” Zohar asked as they moved toward the fireplace.

Drayce placed the books down onto the coffee table that he been replaced to stand in front of the fireplace again. “You've been in the labyrinth at night, haven't you?” he asked as he stayed standing and turned to face Zohar. “The first floor in particular?”

Zohar took a step to stand in front of him, the fireplace the only source of light in the room. “That is correct.”

“Have you seen anything strange?” Drayce questioned. “As in bright lights, perhaps similar to the one on that sealed door?”

Zohar tilted his head to the side in question and curiosity. “Is this about the Radiant Moon?”

Drayce nodded his head before he rubbed the back of his neck. “That's right. Shashi says that the Radiant Moon draws on the power of the full moon and something along the lines of shining a light of truth in the darkness of deceit. I don't suppose you've seen anything, have you?”

“No,” Zohar answered bluntly.

Drayce felt his shoulder drop in disappointment and he dropped his arm to rest against his side. “I see,” he sighed.

“But that's because I will not be able to see this light regardless,” Zohar unexpectedly added.

Drayce furrowed his brow in pure confusion. “What do you mean? Do you know anything about the Radiant Moon?”

“Rumours.”

“They are?”

Zohar’s gaze somehow appeared more intense as he looked at him. “The Radiant Moon of Compassion will only show itself to the one whose heart contains the purest of compassion.”

Drayce had heard something similar to that a long time ago. “That's-”

“If so,” Zohar interrupted him before he unexpectedly and tenderly took a hold of Drayce’s chin with his hand, earning a soft, timid gasp of surprise from him. “Then you are the one who will find it.”

Though Zohar’s hand was surprisingly warm and soft, Drayce felt more confused than before and could only really blink at the celestian. “But...” he started but words seemed to have failed him.

Zohar closed his eyes and released a slow breath. “I best leave now,” he said as he dropped his hand from Drayce’s chin and took a step back. It was only then did Drayce realise how close they had been standing. Toe to toe, practically chest to chest.

“Wait, are you leaving again?” Drayce asked as he subconsciously raised a hand toward him.

“It has become late,” Zohar said simply as he turned away from him and in the direction of the front foyer. “You should rest for the night. I assume you will be returning to the labyrinth tomorrow?”

“Well, yeah,” Drayce admitted as he let his hand fall away.

Zohar turned to face him and granted him a small but sincere smile. “Then rest.”

Drayce nodded his head before he tilted it to the side and idly folded his arms behind his back. “You'll visit again?”

“I have more books that may of use to you,” Zohar stated simply.

“So that's a yes?” Drayce asked as he felt a smile spread across his lips. “Ok. Until...until next time, then.”

“Yes,” Zohar said as he gave Drayce one last smile, a smile that held a promise, before he turned and walked away.

And Drayce let him. He couldn’t stop him from leaving, not when he knew that he would return anyway. And that he was still considering his offer to join his guild. It was positive and reassuring. Whatever he was dealing with, it was ok. Drayce would just wait.

… … … … …

Drayce sat on the edge of his bed as he flipped through the books that Zohar had given him. There were many rituals and descriptions of ceremonies that he didn’t truly understand, and some of them were genuinely disturbing and frightening. And yet they were interesting.

He didn’t believe all of them but he knew that out there somewhere was someone (or a group of them) who did believe in them. Enough to potentially hunt for the treasures or conduct the rituals themselves. And that was quite unnerving.

A light tap on his bedroom door caused Drayce to lift his head up and glance over at it. “It's open,” he called out as he closed the book and set it aside.

Slowly, almost cautiously, the door opened and a familiar red-haired Therian popped his head in meekly. “D-did I wake you?”

“Caelem?” Drayce questioned before a smile spread across his lips and he pushed himself to his feet. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

Caelem pushed open the door and stepped into the room. His hands fidgeted in front of him as he looked at Drayce. His hair was slightly messy and his eyes were still somewhat glassy, as if he had just awoken. But he did not look anywhere near as pale as he had during those moments after the ritual. His had colour back in his cheeks and though he shuffled somewhat nervously on his feet, he stood up tall, shoulders back as if a weight had been lifted.

“I'm ok,” Caelem said with a small smile. “I feel better than before.”

“Good, that's such a relief,” Drayce replied in earnest. “You don't have to carry that burden around anymore.”

Caelem nodded his head before his ears folded back slightly and frowned. “Shashi told me what was on my back. I had...no idea.”

Yeah, it must have been quite the shock to him to learn what he had been carrying around on his back. And what it could potentially lead them to.

“It's an intriguing mystery, I won't deny that,” Drayce said as he reached out to place a hand on Caelem’s shoulder. “But I'm glad you don't have to worry about anyone else attacking you for it.”

Unexpectedly, Caelem’s ears folded back further and he pressed his lips together into a thin line.

“Is something else wrong?” Drayce asked, genuinely concerned that he had said or done something to offend him.

“I’m…in your debt,” Caelem said as he subconsciously stood taller.

“Huh?” Drayce uttered before he smiled and lifted his hand from Caelem’s shoulder to give a slight dismissive wave. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I didn’t help you in hopes of getting something in return.”

“But…I can’t accept that,” Caelem insisted as he shook his head rather frantically. “I have to repay you somehow.”

Drayce held up his hands in front of him in a pacifying manner. “It’s fine, really.”

“Y-you don’t understand, I’m a Masurao, I can’t just…” Caelem trailed off before an expression of determination appeared on his face and he curled his hands into tight fists at his sides. “I need to stay until my debt is repaid, however long it takes, ok?!”

Drayce took a half step back in surprise, genuinely confused as to where that outburst came from. However as he looked at Caelem, looked past his tense shoulders and expression of determination he noticed a light flush to Caelem’s cheeks and his lips were pulled into a slight pout.

He couldn’t help but allow a smile to appear on his lips. “Hey now,” he said as he placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward. “If you wanted to join my guild, you could’ve just asked!”

The redness on Caelem’s cheeks immediately deepened and his eyes widened a fraction. He, however, looked like a child who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was honestly quite adorable.

“We’ll be happy to have you,” Drayce continued as he held out a hand toward Caelem for him to shake on the deal. “Welcome to Angelward, guildmate.”

Caelem’s ears perked up and so did he. “Y-yes!” he said with a beaming smile and took Drayce’s hand in his.

Again, Drayce had to smile. Caelem was going to fit right in. And honestly he had thought about asking him to join anyway. Though the spell had been removed, those bandits could still target him simply for getting away. And Drayce was a naturally protective person, so there was no way he would allow that to happen.

“For now, you should rest,” Drayce said as he released his grip on Caelem’s hand. “It would be best if you stay in the Crescentia until we can find what it is that the Moon Legacy is leading us to.”

Caelem looked equally surprised and disappointed. “But-”

“You can help Ashton and Shashi here,” Drayce said with a smile, intentionally cutting him off. “I won't let those bandits near you again. Even though you are no longer carrying the Moon Legacy, I'm still cautious. Don't worry; you'll be able to join us in the labyrinth soon.”

Caelem seemed to understand he had good intentions and nodded his head. “Ok. You're right. I'm...I know the spell is gone. I can no longer feel it.” His ears folded back slightly in dread. “But I don't...want to go in that corner again just in case.”

The pain he felt that day must have been intense if it caused him to run blindly in the opposite direction. Good thing he didn’t have to worry about it anymore. Honestly, Drayce wished he had encountered Caelem a lot sooner so he could have removed the spell long before anything harmful and dangerous had happened to him.

He still hadn’t forgiven those bandits for kidnapping him like that!

“That's fine,” Drayce said as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder again. “Let's worry about that later. Have you eaten? Ashton prepared something for you earlier.”

“Oh, yes. I've eaten,” Caelem answered before he gave him a slightly sheepish grin. “I'm still a little tired, though.”

Drayce nodded his head in understanding and smiled. “Well, we better get some rest before Ashton goes on the rampage and throw us back into bed.”

Caelem honestly looked a little scared at that. “R-right.”

Honestly, Drayce felt that he could sleep a little easier now knowing that Caelem was fine and that he was safe within the Crescentia and would remain safe under the protection of the Angelward guild.

“W-well, goodnight,” Caelem said as he turned toward the door.

“Yeah, we’ll see you in the morning, Cal.”

… … … … …

They had breakfast slightly earlier than usual that morning as they had wanted to head into the labyrinth as soon as possible. With the necessary food in their stomachs, they quickly readied themselves for a day in the labyrinth.

However, things were a little bit different this time round. Drayce left the mapping tools in Faelen’s care and Fiorello was the one in charge of the healing items and the Ariadne Thread. Blayke and Kamali were the two who were likely to be the ones to engage in any battles while Drayce, of course, was in charge of the protection.

But there was another thing he needed to ensure the protection of. Something he couldn’t afford to lose or let anyone else know about.

“I’m not all that comfortable with taking the Moon Legacy into the labyrinth,” Ashton said as he looked over the guild with a worried look.

“I’m not all that comfortable, either,” Drayce admitted. “But it is the only way.”

Caelem lingered in the background, looking nervous for them. “It won’t hurt any of you, will it?” he asked.

“None of us is supplying the Moon Legacy with mana,” Kamali was the one to explain. “So it shouldn’t affect any of us. Don’t worry.”

Caelem wasn’t wholly convinced, but he nodded his head in acceptance. His unease remained though and was likely to stay that way until they returned later that day.

“You should enter the labyrinth with completing the first mission in mind,” Ashton said to them with a stern sense of protectiveness in his voice. “You can search for the Radiant Moon or wherever the Moon Legacy wants to take you, but if anyone asks you're simply completing the first mission. And try to refrain from speaking openly about the Moon Legacy.”

The orders seemed a bit excessive but Drayce knew that Ashton only had their best interests at heart. Also he was right. The bandits could be lurking about. They couldn't afford to have them eavesdrop on them. Although the necromancer Caelem mention was able to detect mana, too. Being secretive for now was their best bet.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Drayce promised as he hefted his shield onto his back.

Drayce was about to ask where Shashi was and if the Moon Legacy was able to be transported yet when the purple-haired celestian walked down the stairs with a wooden cylinder case in his hands.

“Here, the Moon Legacy,” he said as he presented it to Drayce. “Keep it in this. And open it only when needed.”

Drayce glanced down at the case and noticed that it had several symbols he didn’t recognised engraved onto the wood and that it had a leather strap to it to allow him to carry it over his shoulder and under his coat for added protection.

“That’s…?” he muttered before he looked up at Shashi in surprise. “Was this what you were working on last night?”

Shashi nodded his head before he took the leather carry strap in his hands and set about lifting it over Drayce’s head and positioning it so it was within reach but also out of the way in case of battle.

“It will maintain the mana supply while supressing it from outside forces,” Shashi explained. “If you happen to encounter someone with mana detect, specifically that bandit necromancer, they should not be able to detect the Moon Legacy with you.”

Drayce was so grateful that Shashi had the foresight. “Oh good, thank you. I was worried about that, honestly.”

Again, Shashi nodded his head before a slight frown tugged on his lips and he took a step back. “Without a constant supply of mana, the Moon Legacy will not remain for long. The sooner we find where it is pointing to, the better.”

Yeah, Drayce figured that also.

“Right, we better get going then,” Drayce said before he turned to his travelling party and looked them over. “Well, is everyone ready?”

“Yeah, all ready to go,” Blayke answered quickly.

“Then let’s get going,” Drayce said as he led them all to the doors lead out of the Crescentia. “Back into the labyrinth we go.”


	20. Chapter 20

When Drayce and his guildmates entered the labyrinth, Drayce noticed that there appeared to be quite a few novice explorers loitering about. They lingered mostly in the western side of the staircase. Either checking out the fishing point, gossiping about the sealed door, or admiring the beautiful lush scenery. Perhaps all three at once.

It was good to see that other explorers were in the labyrinth as they made their attempt at the first mission on their own. More explorers meant more money filtering back into the city. It was a good thing.

And yet a part of Drayce felt a little wary. More people meant less chance for him to pull out the Moon Legacy without possibly arousing suspicions or interest from others. He also worried that the bandits may use the wandering explorers to their advantage to blend in. He may just be a tad paranoid, but he thought it would be better safe than sorry.

Well, nothing he could do about it.

“Morning, Virgil!” Drayce shouted his greeting as he waved a hand toward the guard.

Virgil immediately looked up from his chickens and a genuine smile spread across his lips. “Ah, good morning,” he greeted warmly when Drayce and the others stood before him. “Another day in the labyrinth?”

“That’s right,” Drayce answered before he felt a familiar tug and glanced down to find that familiar chicken once again picking at his shoelaces. “Good morning to you, too, Deloris.”

Virgil chuckled as he bent down to scoop the lively chicken into his arm once again. “She’s certainly taken a liking to you,” he said with a sense of humour in his voice as he allowed the hen to sit in the crook of his elbow. “How are you progressing with your first mission?”

“Haven’t completed it fully yet,” Drayce admitted with a shrug. “Been a little…busy, you know? The map is coming along great, though, and we managed to snag a sapling, so I like to think we’re progressing nicely.”

“Oh, good,” Virgil said as he nodded his head idly. “Hoping to gather the soil sample today?”

Drayce nodded his head. “That’s out goal. Need to do things by the books, right?”

“Yes, that is very true,” Virgil replied around a small chuckle. “It's good to see that you're so dedicated.”

Drayce granted him a smile as he glanced around to see a few more guilds roaming around in the background behind the guard. “A few rookies roaming about, I see.”

Virgil idly glanced around as well as he nodded his head. “Oh yes, there’s been an influx of them lately,” he said as he glanced over at Drayce only for his gaze to flicker to look over his shoulder. “I best get to work. I do wish you good fortune for today.”

“Thanks, we'll be sure to make it out in one piece so don't worry,” Drayce said in return as he set about stepping aside to allow a new guild to speak with the friendly guard. “Hopefully we won't have to play the hero again.”

“I'm sure you wouldn't hesitate to step in again if the need arises,” Virgil said with a smile.

“Yeah, won't turn our backs on anyone,” Drayce said as he motioned for his guild to move with him. “We’ll catch you later.”

“Virgil seems as content as usual,” Kamali commented lightly as they head deeper into the labyrinth.

“He does,” Drayce agreed before musing to himself. “I guess that means he hasn’t seen anything suspicious. Not that he would be able to notice too much when dealing with those new guilds and not to mention his chickens.”

“So, what’s the game plan now?” Blayke asked, always so serious and determined.

Drayce idly traced his finger over the wooden case containing the Moon Legacy that was hidden in his coat. “Let’s head north,” he said.

That was, after all, the direction they found Caelem running from. He didn’t want to pull out the Moon Legacy unless absolutely necessary. He also wanted to make sure that no one else was around when he did just that. Just in case.

“Right,” Blayke said as he glanced suspiciously at their surroundings.

They fell into a comfortable and reasonable silence as they began to trek further into the lush green woods. With Drayce at the forefront of the group and with Nashoba trotting silently behind him, he led them through the winding pathways. The large clearing in the centre of the floor soon came into view and they paused momentarily to survey their surroundings.

As they headed in a northerly direction Drayce began to notice that the crowds of explorers slowly begin to dwindle. And as they pushed through a set of large stone doors, they were seemingly alone.

Good. He wanted to check on the Moon Legacy to see if there was any reaction from it.

A low growl pulled Drayce out of his thoughts and he glanced down to find their guild’s wolf staring forward, head low and heckles raised.

“Nashoba?” Faelen said as he placed a hand on Nashoba’s back and crouched down next to him.

“What’s wrong?” Drayce asked.

Faelen lifted his gaze away from Nashoba to look up at Drayce but paused and instead focused on the path before them. His ears twitched for a moment before they folded back slightly and his shoulders hunched with unease. “There’s someone else here,” he whispered.

Drayce immediately felt his protective heckles rise and he grasped his shield tightly as he took to the very front of the group. “…Stay behind me,” he murmured.

Whoever was there with them, it could just be a guild of rookies like them, simply completing the first mission. But the way Nashoba was growling, whoever was with them they were Drayce was certain they weren’t friendly.

“Come out,” Drayce commanded. “We know you’re there.”

After a moment, footsteps were heard. And from around a corner of the path, two figures stepped out.

One was a tall, probably over six foot tall, with bulging muscles and a large scar across his bare chest. Green and black hair and tanned skin. His face was chiselled with hard edges and his eyes were quite small, beady even. He wore a pair of shorts that reached his knees and had armlets that gave the indication that he was a pugilist.

The other was much, much shorter and barely dressed. A hoodie with the zipper connected at the very bottom of the jacket but that was it. Other than a pair black boots, they wore absolutely nothing else. Their eyes were pitched black as was their hair. They were obviously classed as a necromancer, not just because of the dark green skin and multiple scars, but the two large coffins that they carried on either side of them.

They certainly didn’t look they were ready to traverse the labyrinth. Drayce knew that many were averse to armour of any kind. Still, he felt extremely cautious. Did they simply dislike armour and were being foolish, or were they skilled enough that they didn’t need it?

Regardless, he immediately felt a protective bristle race down his spine when the two stood directly in their path.

“Let me guess; bandits, right?” Drayce state more so than asked.

“We prefer adventurers,” the short necromancer immediately replied with a grin.

Drayce was honestly taken aback by the necromancer’s voice. Despite their short, scrawny stature their voice was the deepest he had ever heard. Low, rumbly, and gruff. Purely masculine. And by the voice alone, Drayce was going to assume that they were male. He wasn’t completely certain, though. Still, the deepness of his voice was almost comical.

But the humour was overridden by annoyance that they would refer to themselves as adventurers. He was fairly certain that this necromancer was the one that Caelem warned them about. He had better test his theory first.

“Adventurers don't go kidnapping others,” Drayce said simply.

The grin on the necromancer’s face widened. “And how do you know?” he returned with a tilt of his head.

Damn it. He was right. This deep-voiced necromancer was the one responsible for what happened to Caelem. And he obviously had no problem with it as that grin of his was simply malicious.

Drayce felt his eyes narrow in protectiveness as he stared at the necromancer. “Oh, I know.”

“Cut the shit,” Blayke practically growled. “What do you want?”

The necromancer ignored the demand and insist returned with a question of his own. “Where's the therian? The one you nobly saved?”

Did they…witness that? Or was that just a lucky guess?

“Somewhere safe, obviously,” Blayke snapped as he took a half step forward, obviously riled up by the two before them.

Drayce reach out an arm in front of Blayke, his arm hitting him square in the chest. Blayke kept his angry gaze on the two but took that half step back. With Blayke at a safer distance, Drayce pushed himself forward to allow himself to be the main focus of the two. The necromancer appeared to be the one in charge, at least out of the two of them. The muscular pugilist hadn’t uttered a word. In fact he barely moved, other than to stare them all down.

“Look, we don't know what you want nor do we care,” Drayce said. “Get out of our way; we've got things to do. Unlike you, we're interested in following the rules and finishing the first mission.”

Once more the necromancer deflected their words. “You know what that Therian was carrying, don't you?”

Despite trying not to, Drayce felt himself go tense and he inwardly hoped it wasn’t visible. “Carrying?”

“A spell,” he continued with that malicious grin unfaltering. “On his back.”

Drayce stared hard at the necromancer, his eyes narrowing. “...You could read it?”

Somehow his smile grew in wickedness. “Maybe.”

Despite the seeming smugness, Drayce immediately knew that he was bluffing. He wouldn’t have confronted them about Caelem if they knew about the Moon Legacy. “Heh, I'll take that as a no,” he said as a confident smile spread across his lips.

Finally that grin he necromancer wore faltered. “And you can?” he accused.

“Nope, I can't,” Drayce immediately replied with a careless shrug. “Even if I could I wouldn't tell you anything.”

“Drayce?” Faelen whispered with a quiver in his voice as he tugged on the sleeve of his jacket.

“It’s all right,” Drayce said automatically as he reached out with his hand to subtly push Faelen behind him in order to keep the attention focused solely on him and not his guildmates. “Just stay behind me. I’ll handle this; you guys keep a look out.”

“Ok,” Faelen relented as he moved from his sight.

“So what if he had a spell on his back?” Drayce demanded as he took a half step towards them. “What’s it to you?”

The necromancer idly dropped the coffin halves to the ground and shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “Haven’t you heard the rumours?”

“There are lots of rumours about the labyrinth,” Drayce retorted. “You’re going to need to be more specific.”

The green-skinned celestian twitched and his face creased into a barely restrained look of sheer annoyance. “You’re a wise guy, huh?” he muttered.

Drayce shrugged carelessly. “Also a wild card, apparently.”

Again, he twitched. “You’re getting annoying.”

The green-haired pugilist suddenly lifted his arms and folded them tightly over his chest in a somewhat intimidating way. “I dun know nothing about no other rumours but there’s a treasure chest of money and jewels here and stuff,” he unexpectedly said.

Drayce felt himself blink. The man’s voice was an octave higher than that of his companion, but still quite deep and husky nonetheless. He also sounded surprisingly honest.

“Oi, shut up!” the necromancer immediately yelled. His conceited and overly confident facade crumbled somewhat as he turned to chide his companion, bristling rather comically at him.

“Don’t you yell at me!” the pugilist yelled back at the necromancer in a truly disgruntled manner, also bristling as he leaned way forward so that he could be eye level with the short celestian. “So what? It’s not a secret or nothing.”

Although the two were slowly becoming less intimidating, Drayce still felt incredibly cautious towards them.

“Treasure chest of jewels, huh?” Drayce murmured. “I think I remember hearing something about that. About an ancient cache of jewels lying at the bottom of a lake.”

The pugilist immediately perked up and looked over at Drayce with a wide-eyed expression. “Yeah, that’s the one!” he said surprisingly eagerly.

“Shut up!” the necromancer once again yelled as he tried to lash his foot out at him to kick him.

But when his foot made contact with the pugilist’s leg, he barely even moved. He didn’t seem to even acknowledge the kick. However the necromancer certainly felt it and he soon turned his back to them to obviously nurse his foot. And the pugilist remained unmoved.

“I guess in your mind that’s worth kidnapping someone for,” Drayce commented.

“Of course it is,” the celestian retorted as he stood up, shoved his hands into his pockets once more and slouched his shoulders in a supposedly dark, edgy way as he turned to face him. “Money makes the world go round, after all.”

Ok, so they didn’t seem to know anything about the Radiant Moon or the Forgotten Princess. Good. But that meant they just made an assumption about Caelem. Literally a wild guess. Which was a little more disturbing, honestly. Unpredictable and hasty. Not a good combination.

He needed to know more about them before he could think of some kind of counter or game plan to deal with them. He hoped the pugilist would blurt out the information needed.

“So, tell me; are you part of a guild or are you a travelling duo?” Drayce asked.

The necromancer grinned. “Oh, are you-?”

“Hey, we have an awesome guild name!” the pugilist shouted with fiery indignity. “Don’t you know who we are? We’re Brigands!”

“Isn’t that just another word for bandits?” Fiorello was heard idly commenting from behind Drayce.

And Blayke snorted lightly. “Honestly, their name should be Shirtless. It would make more sense.”

Fiorello chuckled. “They do seem to have an aversion towards clothes.”

“Hey!” the necromancer bristled comically and stamped his foot childishly on the ground. “I look awesome!”

“You certainly look like something, but I’m too polite to say what exactly,” Fiorello responded in a sing-song and incredibly cheeky manner.

“The hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Drayce wasn’t sure what he meant either, but he let the two to their bickering as he carefully and subtly surveyed their surroundings. Let Fiorello get under the celestian’s skin and keep him busy. The insults were childish, no doubt, but they were distracting and that was what he needed.

The two before them acted nothing like what Drayce had expected the band of bandits that kidnapped Caelem to act like. But Caelem mentioned that there were others. A necromancer and a pugilist were the two that he remembered. And if they were as boisterous then as they were currently, then it was no surprised he remembered them.

They were just a comedy duo. It was the other nameless faces he mentioned that had Drayce worried.

However, he couldn’t see anyone else. Just these two. And that’s a little unsettling in of itself. Were they overly confident, or were they actually quite skilled? Drayce didn’t particularly want to find out, but he might not have a choice in the matter.

“Whoever you are, I’ve never heard of you,” Drayce said as he regained the centre of attention.

“Come on, our boss is super famous!” the pugilist reacted in the similar way as his companion did but bristling wildly and stomping his foot on the ground. “Don’t lie!”

“Would you shut up?!” the necromancer hollered once more.

Boss? So there were more of them. Figures.

“So you have names, too?” Drayce continued with his subtle interrogation. “Or should we call you Pantless and Shirtless?”

“Oh, I’m Bronson and that’s Tomlin,” the pugilist introduced rather politely.

Tomlin sighed loudly as his shoulders sagged in a mixture of exasperation and annoyance. He slapped a hand against his forehead and ran it over his face. He obviously put up with a lot and no doubt Bronson often interfered with his dark, edgy persona.

Yup, a comedy duo. Too bad they were bandits otherwise Drayce may have liked them.

“Oi, Lunkhead, don't just stand there,” Tomlin finally said as he straightened his posture. “Show them what us bandits are capable of.”

Bronson frowned. “Hey, I ain't taking any orders from you,” he said as he folded his arms tightly over his chest in a stubbornly manner. “I only listen to the Boss.”

Tomlin’s eye twitched. “He ain't here now, is he? So get to work already you useless lump of shit.”

“I said I aint taking orders from you!”

“Dumbass!” Tomlin shrilled and bristled as he spun around to face the much taller earthlain. He then unexpectedly drew in a sharp breath through his nose as if to calm himself. “Think about how happy your precious Boss will be if we return with a priceless treasure.”

Bronson immediately perked up and seemed genuinely interested in making this Boss person happy. “Huh? The Boss would be happy?”

“Is everything you do for the boss only?” Tomlin muttered before he spun around to face Drayce and the others again and pointed dramatically at them. “Jeez. Look, just punch someone already!”

“Alright!” Bronson hollered with enthusiasm.

Great. Just what they needed.

“So much for doing this by the book,” Drayce murmured as he reached for his cannon with one hand while the other grasped at his shield. “Let’s get ready to kick some ass, guys.”

“Right!”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is excited for the new EO game~? My precious medic is going to be an option so I am EXTREMELY happy :3

Drayce clenched his jaw tightly as the taller, far bulkier Bronson approached them. His face was set in a determined expression as he cracked his knuckles in preparation for using them. Drayce hadn’t a clue how strong he was but he was adamant that he wasn’t going to lay a hand on any of his teammates.

He was going to have one hell of a time getting past him, that was for sure.

As Bronson paused in his steps and pulled himself into an offensive stance, ready to lunge forward at any second, Drayce positioned himself directly in front of the others. He lifted his shield and subconsciously readied himself for that jarring sensation of something crashing into his shield. He could still feel that impact the first time he encountered that wild dog those few days ago.

He anticipated to be as bad or worse than that.

“Huh?” Tomlin suddenly uttered. “What’s that?”

Drayce glanced over at the necromancer to find him peering at him. “What’s what?”

“That’s…ancient celestian sigils,” Tomlin murmured before a truly wicked grin spread across his lips. “Heh. What are you hiding there?”

Shit. He noticed the case containing the Moon Legacy.

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Drayce said as he hastily shifted the wooden case back behind him and under his jacket. “It was a gift from a friend.”

“Is that so? I don’t believe that,” Tomlin practically purred at him before he smirked once again. “Change of plans, lard-ass. Either grab that dragoon or the thing he’s carrying. Both preferably. The Boss would be really interested in them.”

Bronson nodded his head sharply. “Anything for the Boss!” he cried out as he lunged forward.

Drayce felt himself go tense and briefly heard Blayke cuss a few words under his breath behind him. Grab _him?_ They were intent on kidnapping him now because they spied him carrying a strange box on his person? Honestly.

Fine, whatever, target him all they want; just leave his guildmates alone.

Besides, he wasn’t going to simply let them grab him without a fight!

“Here, have a Decoy Shield to the face!” Drayce shouted as he summoned his shield in the pugilist’s path.

Bronson didn’t have time to utter a word before he literally ran face first into a decoy shield that materialised right in front of him.

It stopped him dead in his tracks and he fell to the ground in bewildered and shocked. And yet he…

H-he broke it? He destroyed the decoy shield in one hit. Damn, he must have one hell of a hard head. Or he was actually a lot stronger than he looked. Damn it, Drayce didn’t think he would be able to fend off someone that much stronger than him.

“Typical,” Tomlin somehow simultaneously spat with annoyance and sighed with exasperation. “I'll have to do it myself.”

Summoning a light green mist with his hands, he lifted his coffins to either side of him and an expression of intense concentration appeared on his face. His eyes practically rolled to the back of his head as his lips moved, as if mumbling something.

As if he was summoning something. A wraith.

Shit.

“Don’t duck now~”

Before Drayce could do anything to knock Tomlin from his concentration, Fiorello cheerfully yelled a mild warning before something tied in a herb pouch was flung, with some force, straight into Tomlin’s face. It hit him square on the nose and upon impact burst open to splutter a strange tar-like substance over the entirety of his face, but especially his eyes.

Tomlin’s head immediately reeled back and his mouth dropped open in surprise. He soon began to splutter as his coffins fell to the ground with a loud thud. He stumbled back a couple of steps before he wailed loudly, his hands all but clawing at his face. “What the hell?! Shit, god, the fuck?! I can’t see!”

“Such a foul mouth,” Fiorello chided cheekily as he bounced another similar herb pouch in his hand. “Maybe I should use poison next time.”

Oh right, botanists also knew how to blind a target. That was obviously was Fiorello had done. Tomlin didn’t need to see to summon his wraith, but it was more than enough to unsettle and distract him.

“Nice shot, Fio!” Drayce complimented.

“Of course,” Fiorello chirped cheekily. “I have impeccable aim.”

With the two momentarily incapacitated, Bronson rubbing his forehead in a frustrated manner and Tomlin scrubbing furiously at his eyes, Drayce wondered how they should proceed with this debacle. Stay there and allow it to continue or walk away? Because, seriously, they were more of an annoyance now.

But they were still blocking the path and Drayce didn’t want to risk any of his teammates’ safety by standing a foot closer towards them.

Using the sleeves of his hoodie, Tomlin managed to rub some of that junk off of his face and he immediately spun around to glare angrily (and a little disgruntledly) at him. “Oh, I’m beginning to think you’re not worth the fucking effort.”

Drayce felt a grin spread across his lips in preparation to make a sarcastic comment in response. However, a movement behind the small necromancer caused him to pause before a sense of dread appeared in the pit of his stomach and he immediately reached for his shield and gun once more.

“Personally, I think you've got more important things to worry about,” he said as he swung his shield around in front of him.

“Oh, do I?” Tomlin spat.

“Like paying attention to your surroundings, dipshit,” Drayce said as he slid his cannon into his shield and prepared to bunker down. “That Wild Dog is looking pissed.”

Despite the fact that Tomlin had no reason to actually believe his words, he still spun around to look. He soon stiffened in utter surprise when a large-mouthed, red-furred monster charged toward them from down a long, winding pathway.

“Aw, shit!” Tomlin immediately spat once more as he summoned his coffin and attempted to scramble away, down another path that teed off from where they blocked Drayce and his guild. “Move it, Lard-ass!”

Bronson looked over his shoulder as well before a rather comical expression of fear appeared on his face and he immediately leapt to his feet. With his arms flailing wildly, he attempted to catch up with Tomlin.

“Drayce!” Faelen suddenly shouted from behind him. “There’s another one!”

Two of them?!

Drayce immediately whipped his head around to see another wild dog amble into view. While it didn’t appear as aggressive as the one that was charging at them, it was still likely to enter the battle anyway because that was what the aggressive bastards did.

But could they handle two of them? Either at once or one after the other?

Shit…

Without a second thought Drayce threw up a Decoy Bunker in front of the charging wild dog while he sent another in the direction of the second, hoping to use the agitating properties of his decoys to lure that one away. Best to deal with these loud-mouths one at a time.

“Drayce!” Blayke called out to him in alarm.

“It's fine!” Drayce immediately called back, hoping to be encouraging. “We've defeated one of these guys before and we can do it again!”

“We could do without those other dumbasses on the field,” Blayke growled as he readied himself to perform his flame chain attacks.

“Ignore them,” Drayce commanded. “Concentrate on working with Kamali and Faelen on fighting this aggressive one first. I'll keep everything else away.”

“Don’t do anything reckless!” Blayke shouted at him before he threw himself into battle against one of the wild dog.

“You, too!” Drayce shouted back before he turned his attention on the pair of bandits who had lingered behind for some reason.

He had figured they would have made a run for it by now. Were they actually hoping to use the cover of battle to their advantage? Or were they simply weighing up their options?

“Tch. Don’t have time to deal with those mutts,” Tomlin suddenly spat as he lazily looked back and forth between the two red-furred monsters. “We’ve got enough info anyway. The Boss will be interested to know about that dragoon. Hop to, lard-ass. Let’s get out of here.”

“Right!” Bronson said loudly (which seemed to be his usual volume) before he unexpectedly grabbed Tomlin with one arm and began to abruptly sprinted off with him hanging limply under his arm.

“The hell? Hey! What are you doing, lard-ass?! Put me down! This is ruining my dark, edgy persona!”

“Run now, mock later!”

For such a muscular guy, Bronson was fast on his feet. He was also smart enough to get out of the way when monsters were involved.

“This isn't over, Pretty Boy!” Tomlin yelled back as he thrusted a fist in the air. “We’ll be back for you!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Drayce shouted back dismissively.

Typical bandits. Leave when things got tough.

Anyway, good, they were gone from the battlefield. He didn’t know how they were going to return for him but it was probably nothing more than an empty threat. For now he had more important things to worry about.

“Guys, you concentrate on defeating that one first!” Drayce ordered as he turned his back on the more aggressive of the wild dogs and looked at the second one, of which was becoming agitated with all the noise and battling. “I’ll keep the other busy and stop it from ambushing you!”

He quickly summoned a decoy shield to allow him time to organise himself into a defensive stance. He also threw on up behind him, behind the noise of the battle in order to lure that Wild Dog’s attention towards that instead of Blayke and the others. It would also be easier to fight with its back turned.

He would summon as many decoy shields as necessary. Concentrate on one wild dog at a time. He trusted the others to fall into a rhythm and defeat that other wild dog. They had done it before and they would do it again.

All Drayce needed to do was to stop the other one from interfering.

The wild dog quickly broke through one of his decoy shields and looked directly over at him. So Drayce immediately set about summoning another one, again right in front of him. But this time it did something he hadn’t expected. Oh, it ran into the decoy shield at full force and didn’t destroy it on impact. But instead of reeling back in an attempt to break it, it brushed past it and headed straight for Drayce.

Shit!

Drayce lifted his shield in front of him and tensed in response for the incoming impact.

The Wild dog rammed its gigantic head face-first into Drayce’s shield which sent him stumbling back from both the force and the surprise at said powerful force. He managed to stay on his feet thankfully, and managed to maintain his grip on his shield. He even managed to prevent the ferocious beast from getting closer to the others.

However, he did slip up.

Literally.

His leg somehow slipped out from behind the shield in his attempt to prevent the monster from pushing him back further. And somehow that wild dog noticed. It actually noticed that tiny slip of endangerment. And took advantage of it.

The wild dog momentarily stopped pushing on Drayce’s shield to drop its foul, open mouth toward the ground and hooked one of its large protruding fangs around Drayce’s ankle.

It then bit down on his leg.

Unwittingly, Drayce screamed out in pain and surprise as he fell to the ground, landing heavily on his back and unfortunately releasing his hold on his shield. Pain raced up his leg and he felt the monster’s fangs piercing the skin of his calf and ankle.

The sudden pain was extraordinary.

“Shit!” Drayce grunted as he tried to grab onto the grass in order to prevent the wild dog from dragging him and tossing him about. With its power and strength, it could easy hurl Drayce around with a simple thrash of his head.

“Drayce!” Blayke shouted his name in alarm, but Drayce didn’t pay him any attention.

“God damn it,” Drayce hissed as more and becoming constant sharp streaks of pain raced up his leg.

He gritted his teeth and managed to sit up, and stomp his other foot into the wild dog’s face. He then lifted his gun and pointed the muzzle directly into the monster’s beady little eye.

“Let go,” he grunted before he pulled the trigger.

A loud crack echoed sharply through the air and the wild dog abruptly released its jaws from around Drayce’s ankle. He abruptly pulled it back and dropped to the ground.

The wild dog bucked its enormous head back in shock and pain, and yet it remained standing menacingly over him. Drayce had to lower his cannon in order to scoot back, to put some distance between them. But despite lacking one eye, of which blood was pouring from, the wild dog immediately turned its good eye in Drayce’s directly and narrowed in on him.

The destroyed eye was nothing to its primal rage, it seemed.

It was beyond pissed.

Drayce desperately lifted his cannon again, to hit it anywhere when a white blur suddenly leapt onto the wild dog’s back. A loud growl was heard before a roar of pain. Drayce looked up to see that Nashoba had managed to leap onto the wild dog’s back and plunged his teeth into the flesh behind the monster’s neck. He ripped and bit at the flesh, thrashing his head back and forth violently.

The wild dog howled in pain as it proceeded to try to buck and shake Nashoba off of its back.

Because of Nashoba’s efforts, Drayce was able to lift his canon and aim for the mutt’s chest. He knew he wouldn’t be able to kill it outright, but he hoped to be able to hit something important to hinder it.

A loud, thunderous crack of gunfire rang out and it was soon followed by a yelp of pain.

He managed to score a direct hit to the monster’s chest and appeared to have had the luck to strike something vital at that. Nashoba seemed to sense the monster’s staggering steps and leapt back. He kept low to the ground, his teeth bared at the ready.

A strange sound was suddenly heard, like that of bubbling water, gurgling even.

Blood suddenly began to spill from the wild’s dog mouth and it tilted to the side before it fell over completely, slumping bonelessly to the ground.

Only when the wild dog fell still did Drayce realise that his breathing was erratic and he was covered in sweat. And he was gripping his gun tightly. With white knuckles, no doubt.

He then heard another loud gurgled roar and he turned in time to witness the other wild dog collapse to the forest floor with a crush, literally kicking up grass and fallen leaves as it did so.

Drayce’s shoulders sagged with relief. Good. Blayke, Kamali, and Faelen had managed to defeat the other wild dog. And they appeared mostly unharmed. A few dints could be seen in Blayke’s armour and shield, but they were standing.

Hah, which was better than Drayce was.

His leg was absolutely agony. Wow.

Dropping his weapon to the ground next to him, Drayce reached down to look at his leg. And he barely supressed a grimace. His leg armour was dinted and the metal torn where the wild dog had bit him, but it appeared as though the armour was able to fend off the majority of the attack. His leg, though bloody with puncture wounds and gashes, was in relatively one piece. He could wiggle his toes, so that was a good thing, right?

But he probably wouldn’t be walking on it for the next couple of days, though.

Man, Ashton was going to be equally worried and pissed. Hah. Drayce could expect him to be in full-on care-taker mode the second he returned to the Crescentia.

“Don’t move your leg,” Fiorello suddenly ordered in a stern manner and Drayce automatically pulled his hands back. “And lay down; I’ll see to this.”

Suddenly feeling drained, Drayce allowed himself to flop back down onto the grass and he draped an arm over his eyes in an attempt to block out the sunlight that streamed through the leaves.

He tensed when he heard the sound of paws scraping against the soil and grass but when a moist nose nuzzled his cheek, he relaxed.

“Nashoba,” Drayce murmured as he opened his eyes and lifted his hand to gently touch the wolf’s muzzle. “Thank you.”

Nashoba emitted a small whine and licked his cheek softly, much like he did in the aftermath of their first encounter with a wild dog. Man, he owed Nashoba a large steak after this. Two even.

“Drayce!”

Drayce suddenly found his vision filled with the faces of three of his guildmates. Faelen was above his head while Kamali and Blayke were on the left and right of him respectively. All of their expression were similar; concern and fear.

“Is everyone else all right?” Drayce immediately asked.

Kamali nodded his head, his face slightly pale. “We’re fine, all of us,” he insisted.

“There’s no other enemies?”

“N-none,” Faelen was the one to answer with a slight quiver in his voice.

Drayce felt himself relax somewhat. “Good,” he murmured as he closed his eyes and grimaced when he felt Fiorello tugging and pulling at his boot and the leg of his pants.

The botanist wasn’t saying anything, though. Was that a good thing?

Hah, he was sure his leg looked worse than it was. After all, Fiorello had the Ariadne Thread. If it was another of major concern he was certain the brouni would have activated it already.

“There were only two of them, right?” Drayce asked as he opened his eyes and rolled his head to the side to look up at Blayke.

Blayke’s brow was slightly furrowed and his eyes seemed to be darting back and forth between looking at Drayce’s face and at his leg. His expression wasn’t that grim. It was grim enough, sure, but he wasn’t cussing him out so his leg wasn’t in that bad of shape.

“Yeah, I couldn’t see anyone else,” he said in regards to his question, immediately knowing who he was referring to.

Drayce was comforted by that and nodded his head. “Caelem mentioned others,” he frowned and furrowed his brow in a show of unease. “Those two…That pugilist doesn’t seem very bright, but he is strong. He broke my Decoy Shield with his head. He was probably the one who had grabbed Caelem. And that necromancer is flighty but he wouldn’t be ordering that pugilist around unless he has some kind of talent.”

Their confrontation was mostly all words and despite that hint of hostility and that pugilist’s willing to ‘grab’ him, they knew nothing else about them. Were they all bark and no bite? Or had they dodged a bullet today and the wild dogs’ attacking them had potentially ward off a more pressing threat?

They should probably just count themselves lucky for now and get out of the labyrinth.

“They said they would come back for you,” Blayke said, reminding Drayce that Tomlin did indeed shout something like that.

“Probably an idle threat,” Drayce said dismissively. “The necromancer seemed the type to think he’s cool and edgy. Probably thought it made him sound menacing.”

Blayke pressed his lips together tightly into a thin line. “I’m not so sure…” he murmured.

“Worry-wart,” Drayce teased before a sharp streak of pain from his leg caused a hiss to pass his lips and he gritted his teeth.

“Antiseptic,” he heard Fiorello explain shortly. “It’ll pass.”

“Yeah,” Drayce murmured before the pain slowly began to fade and he felt himself relax, not realising that he had been tensing his body until then. “Feeling better already.”

He pressed a hand to his forehead, anticipating difficulty in returning to the Crescentia. With his shield and weapon, both of which are pretty heavy, he would more likely than not need aid in walking.

Shit, the Moon Legacy!

Drayce immediately began to feel around on his left where the case containing the Moon Legacy was situated. “Kamali, the case?”

Kamali shifted on his kneels to also pat down Drayce’s side and after a moment he breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s in one piece, thankfully. You’ve protected it well.”

Thank goodness for that. Would be devastating if anything should happen to it now. It would have made everything they’ve done so far be a complete waste. Caelem’s pain be for nothing. He couldn’t allow that.

“Faelen, any idea where we are?” Drayce asked as he sunk back against the grass.

“O-oh, ah…” Faelen stuttered. “I-I think we’re in the most u-upper left corner of the floor.”

“Are we? That far, huh?” Drayce commented for the sake of talking before his furrowed his brow slightly in thought. “Oh, hey, isn’t this is where we need to get that soil sample?”

Blayke gave him a disbelieving look. “We’ve got more important things to worry about,” he chided.

Drayce managed to wrangle a cheeky grin to his lips as he looked up at Blayke. “Come now, since we’re here, right?”

“Unbelievable,” Blayke murmured, truly exasperated. And yet there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

He was truly worried for him, wasn’t he? They all were.

“I’ll…I’ll get a sample,” Faelen murmured, seemingly glad for something to do.

“I’ve done all I can for now,” Fiorello announced around a sigh. “Let’s get you back to the Crescentia.”

Ugh, here came the hard part.

“Yeah,” Drayce murmured before he gritted his teeth to find the strength to pull himself upright.

He managed to that with Blayke and Kamali’s immediate help. He looked down at his leg to see it heavily bandaged. Started from mid-shin down to his toes, his ankle carrying the vast majority of the supportive dressings.

No obvious signs of blood, though, so that had to be a good thing.

Drayce grasped Blayke’s hand in his in an attempt to be pulled to his feet but a strange tingling sensation on his left side caused him to stop dead. He immediately turned to look at his side where the case containing the Moon Legacy sat. And it was…

“Huh?”

“What is it?” Kamali immediately asked with obvious concern. “Are you hurt elsewhere?”

Drayce shook his head and grabbed the wooden case to lift it up to show everyone. “No, it’s…I can feel it vibrating.”

Kamali’s eyes widened and he lifted his hand to touch the container also. His eyebrows shot toward his hairline in surprise. “It is. Then that means…?”

Drayce immediately glanced at their surroundings. “Are they gone?”

Everyone looked around cautiously also. “I can’t hear or see anyone,” Faelen answered.

Drayce gripped Blayke’s hand tightly again and found the strength to stagger to his feet. However he couldn’t put any pressure on his injured foot as it caused that sharp, jarring pain to race up his leg. So he had to balance himself on his good leg and let Blayke lift his arm over his shoulders, gripping his right wrist with his hand while the other slipped around Drayce’s back to support him.

“We need to pull out the Moon Legacy,” Drayce said as he struggled to remove the lid of the container with one hand. “Keep watch for me.”

“But-” Faelen began to protest.

Drayce understood their reluctance. They had just endured a battle against two wild dogs and before that a confrontation with a pair of antagonistic bandits. And had any of them been hurt instead of him, he would have immediately insisted they return to the Crescentia to recover. He would never put the health and protection of another at risk for a potential treasure.

But since he was the one that was injured and everyone else was in good health, it was fine. Besides…

“We don’t know how long the Moon Legacy will be able to maintain itself,” Drayce said. “The sooner, the better. Don’t worry; I’m fine. And I’ll be sure to rest after this.”

Although the others were reluctant and worried for his health, Drayce knew that he couldn’t miss this chance. So he opened the container concealing the Moon Legacy…


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m thankful I managed to get this chapter done as I’m more then certain I’m getting a cold DX Never mind that; this chapter has a bit of fluff and guild bonding :3 Hope you enjoy reading and do let me know what you think~!

It took Drayce a bit of effort in removing the lid to the container that held the Moon Legacy. He was attempting it with one hand, after all. But with a flick of his thumb the lid popped off and the etching in the wood that provided the Moon Legacy with mana to both sustain itself and concealed it from others seemed to immediately dissipate.

The wooden container shook in Drayce’s hand for barely a second before the parchment that held the Moon Legacy itself flew out, unfurled itself and floated in the air before them.

That was something Drayce had not expected…

The parchment floated peacefully in the air in the centre of the clearing for a few moments. White lines then began to appear, dancing across the surface of the parchment and forming words and symbols. Drayce himself didn’t understand what the words said, but a soft gasp from Kamali told him that he did.

The white lines on the parchment rapidly began to glow, growing brighter and brighter before it formed into a ball of pure light and energy. It then shot toward the end of the clearing, toward a natural wall of thick brush, trees, and roots. A wall that was seemingly impenetrable.

A strange sound, like that of a piece of glass splintering echoed through the air around them. And as that sound rattled through their ears, the ball of light abruptly faded and left a slight opening in the forest wall.

That…

That was amazing!

But what was that exactly?

“W-what happened?” Faelen stuttered as he subconsciously huddled close to Nashoba.

“The…Moon Legacy has fulfilled its duty,” Kamali explained, his voice cutting through the silence that had fallen over them. And seemingly the entire floor itself.

“There’s something hidden in the trees over there,” Drayce said as he pointed to the slight parting in the branches and moss covered stones.

That…was where the moon legacy wanted them to go. Whatever was on the other side of that brush was the very thing that the Moon Legacy was created for.

Drayce ignored the pain in his leg as he urged Blayke to help him toward that opening. They were so close to learn more. More on the Radiant Moon or this Forgotten Princess.

Blayke was at first reluctant to move, obviously concerned for Drayce and the injury to his leg. But he soon sighed and helped Drayce to limp over to the direction the Moon Legacy had indicated in. He also knew that they were close to discovering the truth or possibly more information on the true purpose of the Moon Legacy.

As they pushed through, rather slowly with Blayke doing everything he can to act as Drayce’s crutch, Drayce noticed a few interesting things. The hedges were so thick, if the Moon Legacy hadn’t literally pointed them in this direction (and perhaps even cleared some of the way), Drayce wouldn’t have thought to look more closely. It was hidden well. The trees and bushes close together creating a wall and the branches hung low. It appeared to have been done on purpose, strangely enough.

After a few tricky steps, they suddenly found themselves in a small area. He wouldn’t say it was a clearing exactly. Just an area with less dense foliage. But it was a strange object in the middle of the area that immediately caught Drayce’s attention.

Hidden beneath the moss and climbing flower vines was something that was obviously man-made. A large stone object that was rectangular in shape. It stood approximately waist high, two foot wide and five foot long. The more he looked at it, the more it appeared to be some kind of a stone container.

An alter? Or perhaps a tomb? Or a memorial stone?

Though the moss and vines were rampant, Drayce could see that the large stone object was divided in parts. Specifically four walls and a large stone slab as the lid.

There was nothing else in that tiny clearing. Just that stone container or sarcophagus.

“This is…” Drayce murmured as he limped over to the object and timidly touched it with his hand.

“It’s a stone chest,” Kamali said as he slipped next to him, his eyes focused entirely on the stonework in front of them.

“Not a coffin?” Blayke asked as he readjusted his grip on Drayce and eyed their surroundings cautiously.

Drayce pressed his hand flat against the stone before he idly brushed aside some of the fallen leaves and growing moss. “I don’t know. I don’t think so,” he murmured as he pushed back a large clump of moss and his fingers brushed against a slight indentation etched into the stone.

He brushed aside more of the fallen debris and noticed that it seemed to be a symbol of some kind. Writing even.

“Kamali, there's something written here,” he said.

“Let me see,” Kamali said as he pushed forward to get a closer look. He spent a few more moments brushing aside more forest debris to reveal yet more words and symbols.

“Can you read it?” Drayce asked eagerly.

Kamali was silent as he trailed his fingertips over the engravings. “Yes,” he finally admitted. “Many of the words have faded from time, but I believe I can get a gist of it. It…mentions something about a princess. Not her presence, but the words of her life.”

“So it’s an ancient treasure chest?” Drayce mused aloud.

Kamali nodded his head as his eyes carefully inspected the stone chest and the area of which it rested in. “Yes, it seems to hold the treasure of information.”

Drayce slipped his arm from around Blayke’s neck to rest fully against the stone treasure chest. He placed both hands against the side of the large slab that acted as the lid. He gave a precautionary and exploratory push and he heard a slight scraping sound. Like stone moving against stone.

He quickly deduced that the lid was able to be removed to allow them access to the information stored inside.

“We’re going to need to push aside this stone slab, though,” Drayce said before he chewed on his bottom lip as he tested his injured foot to the ground only to lift it back up immediately when a shot of pain raced his leg. “I doubt that I can at the moment.”

“Let me try!” Faelen immediately insisted as he slipped next to Drayce, his hands atop of the treasure chest and looked up at him with an expression that was pleading to let him help in some way. “I'm stronger than I look.”

Right, Therians were famed for having outstanding strength.

Drayce gave Faelen a grateful look as Blayke snared his arm again to drape over the back of his neck to support him once more. “Give it a try. Don’t push yourself, though.”

Faelen’s expression immediately brightened, his ears perking up. “Yes!”

With Blayke’s wounding an arm tighter around Drayce’s back, he tugged him back to allow their rover enough room to attempt to push aside the stone lid. Drayce relied heavily on Blayke as he hobbled back, willing to let Faelen try to push the lid back, but also ready to push himself forward to help him should he need it.

Faelen manoeuvred himself to stand in the middle of the treasure chest and he placed his hands securely against the side. His ears folded back as a determined look of concentration appeared on his face. He then uttered a low grunt as his back and shoulders tensed and he pushed at the stone.

In jarring, shaky movements, Faelen was able to push aside the stone lid enough until it was more than half off, and allowed gravity to remove it the rest of that way. It fell to the ground with a loud crash, breaking branches, roots, and stones as it did so.

“Great job, Faelen,” Drayce said as he reached out with his free hand to take Faelen by the shoulder and pull him back toward him so that his back hit the middle of his chest. “You all right?”

Faelen tilted his head back and grinned up at him. “That was easy!”

Drayce smiled back down at him. He then notice Kamali push forward cautiously to look inside the stone treasure chest. Drayce felt his arm slip to rest around Faelen’s shoulders as the rover turned to positioned himself on the other side of him, his own arms wrapping around his waist to offer him support to keep standing along with Blayke.

“What’s inside?” Drayce asked as Kamali leaned into the chest.

“Scrolls,” Kamali said as he leaned back with a couple of faded, yellow scrolls of seemingly frail parchments in his hands. “Ancient scrolls and books.”

“How many?”

“Quite a few, honestly,” Kamali answered before he turned to look at them with a quizzical look on his face. “I believe there’s another seal here. At the bottom of the crate. It’s hidden, waiting to be activated.”

Drayce furrowed his brow and frown. “So it needs something else other than the Moon Legacy?”

“It appears so,” Kamali answered as he nodded his head idly before he lifted the scroll his held in his hand higher. “Perhaps the information we need are in these documents?”

Hopefully. Still, what a find as it was! If the words atop of the treasure chest were any indication, then the scrolls and tomes held inside may be the information and documentations of the Forgotten Princess before and perhaps even after she was banished from the royal family. And hopefully they would at least give a hint into her mindset and what drove her to try something so reckless.

And more important information on where the Radiant Moon could be found.

“But…the Moon Legacy…” Drayce murmured. “I think it’s gone now. It’s done its duty.”

“Yes,” Kamali immediately agreed. “It no longer needs to exist in this plain.”

Good. Good…no one had to worry about it anymore or force it upon others. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Moon Legacy was also dismayed by being passed around, but then it would mean it was a sentinel being, huh?

A sharp, shearing pain in his leg pulled Drayce from his musings and he involuntarily released a sound of pain as he fell against both Blayke and Faelen. “Ngh...”

Damn it, he was exhausted.

“What?” Blayke immediately asked as he tightened his hold and grip on him. “Your leg?”

“Yeah,” Drayce said as he tried to smile through the grimace of pain. “Sorry.”

“We need to get you out of here,” Faelen said with great concern in his voice as he also tightened his arms around him.

“Where’s Fiorello and Nashoba?” Drayce asked as he looked around and didn’t see either teammate.

“They chose to stay just outside of the opening to prevent others from trying to trespass,” Kamali was the one to explain.

“We’ve found the place now, so let’s get out of here,” Blayke said in an insistent tone as he tried to nudge Drayce back to the opening and onto the main floor of the labyrinth.

But Drayce shook his head slightly. “Let's grab everything and take it with us,” he said as he motioned toward the stone chest. “We...can't risk leaving them here. Not now. The Moon Legacy is gone now.”

“How are we going to carry everything out?” Faelen asked.

And that was a really good question. As of right now Drayce needed both Blayke and Faelen to keep himself upright.

"How about we use my shield to carry the hoard?" he suggested. "And then we'll use the Ariadne Thread to get out of here."

“Faelen, let’s get Drayce out of here and into that clearing with Fiorello,” Blayke commanded. “Once he’s there, we’ll return and grab everything.”

“Right!” Faelen immediately replied.

Although it was a bit of a struggle to get out, especially now that Drayce couldn’t put any pressure on his leg without pain. But after a few moments of stumbling about and hastily pushing aside twigs and branches, Blayke and Faelen helped Drayce out into the clearing. And just as Kamali had said, both Fiorello and Nashoba stood together in front of the opening, standing in such a way in hopes of hiding it from prying eyes.

As Drayce limped out with Blayke and Faelen on either side of him, both Fiorello and Nashoba turned to look. Nashoba’s ears perked up that gave the indication that he was relieved while Fiorello made a slight tisking sound of disproval.

“Fiorello,” Drayce said. “Anyone wandering about?”

“None so far,” Fiorello answered as he indicated for Drayce to take a seat on the ground so he could rest. “I take it we’ve found something?”

“There’s something there, alright,” Drayce replied with a slight grin as Blayke and Faelen helped him to sit on the ground. But as he sat down yet another sharp pain shot through his leg and he grimaced once more. “Hngh...”

“You ok, Drayce?” Faelen asked him with obvious worry in his voice.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Drayce said around a weak smile. “Just tired. Let’s get what we can and leave, ok? Go ahead, I’m not going anywhere.”

“We’ll be right back,” Blayke said as he reluctantly stood up from Drayce’s said to snare his shield and trudged back into the forest wall.

Faelen was also reluctant to leave Drayce, but with a slight nudge and a smile from Drayce, Faelen jumped to his feet and hurried after Blayke. With the two busy elsewhere, Drayce turned his attention to their botanist.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

“Lacerations and flesh damage. Adrenaline has worn off which is why you’re really feeling it now,” Fiorello said as he began to inspect Drayce’s leg again. “You’re exhausted.”

“Yeah,” Drayce muttered before a smile made its way onto his lips as Nashoba moved to lie down behind him, allowing him to rest back against him if needed. “Thanks, Nashoba,” he said as he patted the wolf on the head. “Man, Ashton is going to be so unbelievably pissed off, though.”

Fiorello chuckled lightly as he idly tied off another bandage around Drayce’s leg. “Let’s get you back as soon as possible.”

“As soon as Blayke and the others return use the Ariadne Thread,” Drayce instructed as he leaned back against Nashoba. “No need to hang around any longer than that.”

They fell into a somewhat uneasy silence as they waited for the others to return. The sounds of the forest were quiet, but not in a way that was suspicious. Drayce was still on edge, though. If there was to be another monster attack he wasn’t sure if he could handle it. Grit his teeth and bare it if necessary.

The sound of snapping twigs and rustling leaves pulled Drayce back to full alertness and he turned his head to see Blayke and Faelen carrying his shield like a stretcher with a small pile of books and scrolls sitting on top. And behind them appeared Kamali, idly pulling twigs and leaves from his long hair.

“Got everything?” Drayce asked.

“Everything,” Kamali replied.

“Good. Fiorello, if you don’t mind.”

Fiorello withdrew the Ariadne Thread from his pocket and without a word, activated it. There was a sudden flash of light before the sounds of a busy city were heard. Blinking away the after effects of both the flash of light and the nausea from travelling, Drayce was relieved to see that they were on the outskirts of town. At the base of the long stairs that led to the labyrinth’s entrance.

One less hurtle to worry about.

“Ok. One obstacle down, one more to go,” Blayke said, almost mimicking Drayce’s thoughts as he crouched down next to Drayce. “How are we getting the…find back and you as well?”

Another good question. Jeez.

“I’ll try to find some strength to stagger back,” Drayce said as he sat up straight and tried to think of a way to push himself to his feet without having to put too much strain on his injured leg. “You help carry our loot.”

Blayke immediately scowled at him and grasped him by the shoulder to push Drayce back down. And his brow furrowed further when he managed to do just that with very little resistance from Drayce himself. “You can't walk on your ankle.”

“I'll help him,” Kamali offered as he knelt down on the other side of Drayce but kept his gaze up on Blayke. “You'll be able to help Faelen carry the treasure far easier than I.”

“Would it be better if I run ahead to get Ashton and perhaps Caelem?” Fiorello suggested.

That actually sounded reasonable. Ashton wouldn’t be happy, but he’d be less happy if Drayce staggered in with an obviously leg injury. It would be worse for him in the long run if he did that and passed out because of the pain and exhaustion.

Aw, man, he totally didn’t want to imagine how pissed Ashton would be if he did that.

“That would...” Drayce started but the words fell away when he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. It was a feeling he felt before. It wasn’t one that gave the indication that something dangerous was near. It...

“Hm?” Fiorello murmured, seemingly have sensed what Drayce had and immediately glanced around.

Unexpectedly his expression brightened as he looked over Drayce’s shoulder. Curious, Drayce turned to look also to find a rather familiar white ghost floating silently in the air behind them.

“Oh, it's Theodore,” Drayce murmured as the round, white wraith looked at him with a surprisingly confused look on its face. Drayce’s gaze, however, was soon drawn to the figure behind Theodore.

He couldn’t help but wince when a pair of icy blue eyes locked onto him. He tried to smile reassuringly, but came out more sheepish than anything else.

“Ah, Zohar, fantastic timing!” Fiorello said cheerfully.

As Zohar walked over to them his gaze never drifted from Drayce’s. “You...You're hurt,” his murmured as his face unexpectedly creased into an expression Drayce couldn’t quite discern.

“N-no, it's minor,” Drayce immediately tried to insist.

Fiorello actually snorted. “So minor he can't walk on it,” he told Zohar point blank before instructing him to do something totally unexpected. “Zohar, carry him. We have a hoard of treasure to contend with.”

“Sure,” Zohar immediately replied. Not hesitation whatsoever.

“W-wait, that's not-” Drayce tried to both reassure that he was fine and that carrying him was a bit too much.

But was abruptly silenced when Zohar knelt down next to him, where Kamali had once been and wrapped an arm around his back while the other gathered his legs before slipping under his knees. And with barely a sound, Zohar drew Drayce close to him and lifted him up off the ground.

Drayce looked at Zohar in surprise by how easily he was able to lift him. And how easy it was for him to settle in his arms. Arms that were strong and firm as he held him, and yet he could sense tenderness there as well. It was surprising to say the least.

“S-sorry about this,” Drayce uttered.

“No,” Zohar said as he continued to look at him with that peculiar look on his face. “It’s fine.”

Drayce gave him a small smile as Zohar turned to carry him to the Crescentia. The others were right behind them with Drayce’s shield and the items they had discovered. The Crescentia was thankfully close to the path that led to the labyrinth. And now that Drayce was no longer hindering anyone, they were able to move quickly through the street.

It was also oddly comforting being in Zohar’s arms like this. He was also glad that Zohar was carrying him. He didn’t think he could have found the strength to make it back to the Crescentia under his own strength. He didn’t want to admit it aloud, but his leg was really starting to hurt.

Within the matter of minutes, they were home. Kamali pushed forward to open the doors and took a step back to allow everyone to walk in. Zohar stepped into the foyer and paused by the steps.

“Could you put me on my feet now?” Drayce asked softly. “I don’t want to worry the others more than they already are.”

Zohar seemed reluctantly, unwilling to let him put any strain on his obviously injured leg. But he nodded his head in acceptance and shifted to allow Drayce to stand on his uninjured leg. However, he kept an arm around Drayce’s waist, effortlessly supporting him. And holding him tightly against his side.

Before Drayce could thank Zohar for his help and apologise for troubling him, he fell silent at the sound of footsteps above their heads. Someone was upstairs and quickly making their way to the stairs where everyone had gathered.

A moment later Caelem was seen at the top of the stairs, his ears perked and an expression of relief on his face. “You're back!” he said with a smile, but it soon turned into a look into of surprise and concern. “W-what happened?” he asked as he all but jumped down the stairs.

“Hey,” Drayce greeted tiredly as Caelem paused right in front of him, looking worried and unsure if he should (or could) reach out to help him. “Rough day.”

“You're injured?” Quickly came Ashton’s voice and when Drayce looked up he watched as the green-haired scholar all but march down the stairs with a look on concern on his face. “What happened?”

Drayce tried to smile reassuring but yet again it came out rather sheepishly. He also hid a wince when Ashton immediately reached out to pull him protectively from Zohar’s grip to instead support him himself.

“A couple of wild dogs. One took a liking to my leg,” Drayce explained as he idly kicked out his injured leg and indicated to where Blayke and the others stood, where they had dropped his shield and their findings. “But that's not all; looks like Shashi is going to be excited.”

Also appearing from the stairs, Shashi looked over at Drayce before his gaze flickered over to where his brother was stood with the cache they had discovered. A look of surprise appeared on his face. “That is...?”

“The Moon Legacy is no more,” Drayce answered. “However, it led us to a cache of royal documents that seem to hold information on the Forgotten Princess. I'll...” he trailed off for as his injuries made their presence known to him once more. “I’ll leave that to you for now, sorry.”

“Yes, I'll take care of everything,” Shashi promised as he made his way over the cache, but paused by his brother’s side to check in on him first.

He placed his hands on Kamali’s shoulders and leaned forward slightly to look into his eyes. He seemed to ask his brother something softly, to which Kamali nodded his head and whispered something else in return. Whatever he said seemed to reassure Shashi as his shoulders sagged slightly and he nodded his head.

“Ashton, can you take him to his room?” Fiorello ordered more than requested. “It would be best if he’s in a comfortable environment.”

Ashton honestly didn’t need to be told, it seemed. “Sure,” he uttered before he abruptly leaned forward to slip an arm behind Drayce’s legs and swept him up into his arms.

Drayce’s head spun slightly by the sudden movement and change in position. “H-hey!” he uttered before he sighed through a pout. “It’s only an injured foot.”

“A foot you need to walk on,” Ashton returned with a protective and rather parental frown on his lips. “Now don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I’ll be good,” Drayce said meekly as he sunk back and allowed Ashton to carry him without fuss. Instead he rested an arm around Ashton’s shoulders, to which he promptly looked over to try to catch Zohar’s attention.

“Zohar, feel free to poke around the documents, too,” he said with a smile. “It was because of you we were able to find them, after all.”

Zohar looked mildly confused and somewhat reluctant. “We’ll see,” he said before Ashton carried Drayce up the stairs and out of Zohar’s line of sight.


	23. Chapter 23

Safely tucked away in his room and in a clean set of clothes, Drayce rested back against the pile of pillows behind him on his bed and wiggled slightly to get comfortable. His injured leg sat atop of a pillow of its own. His ankle ached slightly and he was getting a slight headache, but Fiorello had reassured him that it was normal and nothing to worry about.

It was just from the strain of the battle and the injury.

“Comfortable?” Fiorello asked as he Drayce finally just flopped back against the pillows.

“As one can be, I suppose,” Drayce answered honestly.

Ashton stood at the foot of the bed with his arms folded. “If you want to be able to enter the labyrinth on the night of the full moon, you’re going to need to keep off that leg of yours for at least twenty-four hours,” he said sternly.

“Right, right,” Drayce said, truly not having the energy to make a counter argument. “Hopefully Shashi and Kamali will learn something with the documents we’ve found. If not we’ll have to wait until the next full moon.”

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He wanted to find the Radiant Moon quickly. To keep Caelem safe, to return the celestian gift to the Earthlain royals, to keep it safe from those bandits. For everyone’s sake.

“Shashi is likely to pull another all-nighter,” Ashton mumbled with a sense of exasperation before he turned to him to give him another parentally stern look. “And I want you to leave them with Shashi until at least tomorrow morning.”

“Ash, dude, you’re starting to nag,” Drayce teased in return.

Ashton just arched an eyebrow at him, though he didn’t make an attempt to refute his words. That meant he knew he was nagging and was comfortable enough with that fact. That probably also meant more nagging in the future.

Fine, it was fine. Shashi would be able to translate the documents for him, anyway. Even if he insisted on looking at the documents, he may not be able to read them anyway. He might, but their treasure was safe within the walls of the Crescentia and no one else was aware of their findings.

He also wanted to learn a bit more information on the contents of the stone treasure chest and why it was created in the first place. Important things to inform Ramus the next time he saw him. He would no doubt be interested in the location of the ancient treasure chest also.

So, it would probably be best to do all of this and heal his injured leg before he met with him again. It wouldn’t be a very positive sign to have him limping in with a crutch, would it?

“Ashton. Mind helping me gather something from the clinic?” Fiorello suddenly requested of Ashton, startling him somewhat.

Ashton glanced down at Fiorello with a raised eyebrow. He didn’t ask why, though. Didn’t question him at all. He simply nodded his head with an expression akin to that of understanding. “Sure.”

Fiorello smiled cheekily as he turned his attention back toward Drayce. “Won’t be long. Now, don’t you move or we won’t hesitate to tie you to that bed~”

Drayce wasn’t naïve enough to take that as an idle threat…

“I’ll be good,” Drayce promised meekly before he sat up a little straighter. “Oh, hey, could you ask Faelen to come in here? I want so see how he’s doing after our second battle.”

Fiorello tilted his head to the side for a moment but his smile was soft and he nodded his head. “I’ve sent him to his room to get cleaned up, but I’ll tell him to visit,” he said as he and Ashton turned to leave the room.

“Thanks, Fio,” Drayce said as the two stepped through the door and closed it partly behind them.

Left in silence, Drayce sunk back down against the pillows behind him and stared up at the ceiling. He folded his hands over his stomach but he couldn’t stop himself from literally twiddling his thumbs. It was too quiet and still.

He was tired, sure, but already starting to feel a tad restless. There was invaluable treasure for him to read and document, after all!

The sound of footsteps outside his room, soft and hesitant, pulled Drayce out of his thoughts and impending boredom. He looked over at the door to find Faelen already peering in, looking hesitant, but also with an expression of concern and worry on his face.

“Come on in, Fae,” Drayce said as he pushed himself up with his hands into a more sitting position.

Faelen walked into the room, leaving the door partly close behind him as he made his way to stand at the foot of Drayce’s bed. He looked down at his heavily bandaged leg and his ears drooped slightly. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Drayce immediately reassured, subconsciously wiggling his toes as proof. “Just a minor thing. Don’t worry.”

Faelen nodded his head as he kept his gaze on Drayce’s leg. His ears drooped further and he folded his arms behind him as he rocked back and forth slightly on his feet.

“…That was kinda scary, huh?” he murmured as he finally looked up at him. “Weren’t you scared?”

Drayce felt his gaze soften before he sighed and patted his hand on the bed next to him. “Fae, come here.”

Faelen looked surprised before his ears folded back and he looked hesitant. But after a moment he pushed himself forward and moved to the side of Drayce’s bed and scrambled onto it next to him. Drayce slipped an arm around his neck and tugged his against his side, letting Faelen rest his cheek against his chest.

“I was more worried about everyone else, to be honest,” Drayce said as he as he wrapped both his arms around the rover, essentially cuddling him. “I wasn’t going to allow any of those wild dogs near you.”

“But, you weren’t worried about yourself at all?” Faelen asked softly as he readily snuggled himself against Drayce’s side.

“Honestly, only about my ability to keep calling Decoy Bunkers,” Drayce admitted.

Faelen pressed his nose against the collar of Drayce’s shirt. “You need to think about yourself,” he said. “I don’t want to see you hurt again…”

Drayce sighed as he tightened his arms around Faelen. He wanted to say that he preferred being the one with the injuries; the one in harm’s way, but that would upset Faelen further, so he chose not to say anything.

Honestly, though, he preferred having a monster chewing on his leg than chewing on someone else’s. If it was focusing on him, than the others were safe. That was all that mattered in the end.

Once more Drayce was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He kept his arms around Faelen in continue his comfort as he lifted his head and glanced over at the door of his room. He watched as it was pushed open slowly, cautiously, before to figures appeared. Blayke and Caelem. Well their heads at least as they peer around the door to check in on him, most likely wanting to see if he was asleep already.

But upon seeing that he wasn’t, they both pushed the door open and stepped inside. And behind them two more figures were seen. Ashton and Fiorello had returned, Ashton with a few bottles of medicine in his arms.

“How are you feeling?” Blayke asked as he and Caelem walked over to the bed. Ashton and Fiorello chose to stay back, over by a small table and chair set where they talked silently to each other about the bottles in Ashton’s arms.

“Better now that everyone is back at the Crescentia,” Drayce said as he loosened his arms around Faelen a fraction to let him get up if he wanted.

But Faelen simply shifted slightly to lift his head from Drayce’s chest and kept snug against his side, unconcerned that both Blayke and Caelem were with them now. Blayke sat down on the edge of the bed while Caelem remained standing at the foot, his gaze lingering on Drayce’s injured leg.

“Kamali and Shashi are sorting through the documents,” Blayke explained. “Apparently there’s some interesting stuff there.”

Good. Their efforts weren’t in vain.

Caelem looked over at Drayce and shifted nervously on his feet. “Kamali has told me that the Moon Legacy is gone now.”

Drayce nodded his head as he sunk back against the pillows behind him, Faelen choosing to sit up but stayed pressed against his side. “Yeah, when we came into the area where we discovered the stone treasure chest. We believe that now that it’s lead someone to that chest, it no longer needs to exist.”

A peculiar look appeared on Caelem’s face, as if wanting to believe that it wouldn’t hurt anyone again but also still cautious. Afraid of the small possibility that it may still exist. Or it may have returned to him. On his back.

He was also wondering of what would have happened to him should the Moon Legacy still resided on his back. That was a good question, honestly. The Moon Legacy disappeared in a blinding light. What would have happened if those bandits had managed to drag him to that corner of the floor? What would have happened to him?

Well, it didn’t matter anymore. The Moon Legacy no longer existed.

“Y-yeah,” Caelem simply stuttered.

“Although I feel that the Moon Legacy didn’t mean to bring you harm, I’m glad we were able to safely remove it from you,” Drayce said as he peered up at Caelem and sent him a smile. “You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Thankfully, Caelem seemed to calm at that. “Hmm,” he hummed with a small smile.

“I’ve been wondering about those Wild Dogs,” Ashton spoke up as he walked over to the other side of Drayce’s bed and folded his arms across his chest lightly. “Do you think the wild dogs were also somehow affected by the Moon Legacy’s presence in that part of the first floor? Perhaps even the location that the Moon Legacy led you to?”

That…was a really good theory. The wild dogs were notorious for being aggressive and violent, but for Drayce and co to have entered the labyrinth three times and encountered the wild dogs twice. They seemed to hone in on them, thinking back on it.

Interesting.

“Come to think of it, the two times we encountered them it was near that corner of the floor,” Drayce murmured. “If so, maybe they’ll calm down now?”

Ashton seemed to have considered it as well as he nodded his head slowly. “Who knows? Would explain the bad luck to encounter three of them. Some novices are only ever misfortunate enough to encounter one at a time. To think you had two attack you at once.”

Drayce’s leg seemed to ache in reply and he idly curled and uncurled his toes. “Yeah.”

“Those wild dogs were the least of our worries,” Blayke murmured with a surprisingly dark expression on his face.

Ashton immediately turned to look at him, an expression of worry on his face. “What do you mean?” he asked, his tone rather sharp.

Drayce felt himself wince. He knew what was going to happen next…

“We encountered a couple of those bandits,” Blayke immediately replied with a scowl. “A necromancer and a pugilist. They pretty much admitted that they were the ones who kidnapped Caelem.”

A look of alarm immediately appeared on Caelem’s face and his ears perked up. “You met them?”

Blayke huffed as he pushed himself to his feet and folded his arms tightly across his chest. “Not only did we meet them, the necromancer ordered the pugilist to grab Drayce as he might be useful. And they made the threat of returning for him afterwards.”

Caelem’s ears immediately folded back and he glanced down at the floor. “That’s…”

Ashton’s eyes narrowed protectively and Drayce could have sworn he saw him ball his fists tightly even though his arms were still crossed over his chest. “I see...”

“Hey now, it's probably nothing more than an idle threat,” Drayce injected in an attempt to pacify everyone’s growing worry and protectiveness. “They only targeted me because the necromancer noticed the container with the Moon Legacy inside. That's all.”

“How can you be so sure?” Faelen asked him softly.

“They probably don’t know I’m a treasure hunter, so I don’t see why they should,” Drayce explained before he lifted his hand and gentle ruffled Faelen’s hair. “Listen, even if they did come after me for some reason I’ll be one hell of a difficult captive. Not to mention I’m sure you would come rescue me, right?”

Faelen actually giggled as he smiled. “Right,” he said before his ears perked up. “Hey, those bandits also mentioned another treasure.”

“Hm? Oh, the cache of jewels?” Drayce questioned as he slipped his arm around Faelen’s neck and tugged him playfully down next to him. “Yeah, there are countless rumours of treasures hidden in the labyrinth. That’s why I’m here, after all. Back in the day, jewel thieves would conduct a robbery but hide their stashes until the heat dies down. So it is possible that there is a stash of stolen goods there. Maybe even several of them as the first floor was the easiest to get to.”

“We can worry about that later,” Blayke said with a slight twitch of his eyebrow. “We’ve got enough on our plate.”

Drayce rolled his eyes and nodded his head in a playful way. “I know, I know,” he said as he flapped his other hand dismissively at Blayke, earning another soft chuckle from Faelen. “Besides, the first floor is huge and with a lot of water, so there’s no point in searching without help.”

“You would go searching for treasure if you had a map, wouldn’t you?” Faelen playfully asked him.

“Oh, absolutely!”

That was followed by a series of chuckles or in Blayke’s case exasperated groans.

“I think that’s enough chatting for now,” Ashton announced in a friendly, but still very parental manner. “Try to get some rest. I’ll bring you some food later. For now, sleep.”

Drayce was internally grateful that Ashton had said that because he honestly was starting to feel a little tired. It was probably a mixture of the pain medicine and the relief that everyone was safe and sound. And that they found and safely recovered the treasure the Moon Legacy was leading them to.

“Yeah, ok,” Drayce said as he sunk even deeper into the pillows and against the bedsheets.

Everyone began to move, though Faelen lingered to give Drayce one last look of concern.

“I’m fine, Fae,” Drayce insisted and reassured at the same time he gave him a slight nudge. “Just a little achy. That big-mouthed mutt has got nothing on me.”

Faelen seemed comforted with that. “Ok,” he said as he hopped off the bed.

Ashton quickly ushered everyone out of the room and they moved without argument. With everyone out in the hallway, Ashton paused to stand in the threshold to look in on Drayce with his hand on the handle.

“I’ll check in on you in an hour or so,” Ashton said before he stepped back and closed the door.

Drayce took a moment to get himself comfortable as he could with his leg stretched out in front of him and propped up on a pillow. He slid down so he was lying more on his back than he was sitting up. He closed his eyes, half expecting him to lie there for a few minutes to let sleep claim him.

However, in a matter of seconds, he was asleep.

… … … … …

A sharp, burning pain in his leg pulled Drayce from his sleep and he uttered a low curse under his breath. He slowly and groggily tried to regain full consciousness, enough to at least get his bearings. He soon realised that he had rolled over onto his side, which was probably why his leg ached. In protest. What an inconsiderate jerk.

Pushing himself into a better and far more comfortable position, he glanced out the window and furrowed his brow in confusion. But his eyes soon widened in surprise.

The sky was a mixture of oranges, reds, and purples. The light soft and the breeze from the open window was cool. The sun was setting. He had been out of it for a few hours! He hadn’t expected that. He was either more exhausted than he first thought. Or Fiorello had slipped him something. Both were possible.

He briefly wondered if the others were worried about him sleeping in or if they were relieved. Again, both were possible.

A very gentle knock at his door gained Drayce’s attention immediately and he looked over at it. He hadn’t heard any footsteps.

“Oh, yeah, I’m awake,” Drayce called out as he pushed himself to sit up.

The door handle turned slowly before the door popped open and the one who stood in the threshold was surprising.

“Did I wake you?” Zohar questioned as he took a half step in.

“Zohar?” Drayce murmured, truly surprised to see him but hoping that he wasn’t seeing things nonetheless. “Hey, you’re still here. Oh, yeah, come on in.”

Silently, Zohar stepped further into the room and just as quietly turned and pushed the door shut behind him. As he turned back to look in Drayce’s direction, his eyes seemed to linger on his injured leg before they travelled up to look directly into Drayce’s eyes.

“Yes,” he said as he approached only to pause a foot or so away from the bed. “Fiorello told me what happened.”

“Ah, I see,” Drayce said as he gave him a half smile that was both sheepish and guilty. “A bit of a wild day, huh?”

Zohar’s gaze travelled down to his leg once more and Drayce couldn’t help but notice a slight tensing of his jaw. “Your leg, does it hurt?”

Drayce glanced down at his leg and moved it slightly, to show him that, truly, his injury wasn’t that bad. And not to worry too much over him. Because…Drayce wasn’t sure, but for some reason he just got this feeling that there was a sense of, well, guilt in Zohar’s eyes.

“Only aches a little,” he insisted. “I had a minor slip-up, but I’m fine.”

Zohar’s eyes then turned unexpectedly wistful, yet gentle. “The labyrinth certainly is dangerous.”

“There’s…no denying that, I suppose,” Drayce said simply in return.

With his back starting to ache ever so slightly as well, most likely from having to lie it as still as possibly, Drayce sat up, his injured leg still stretched out as he hugged the other to his chest.

“Zohar? Can I ask you something?”

“Hm?” Zohar murmured.

Drayce hugged his leg a tad tighter as he rested his chin on his knee. “You’re searching for something, aren’t you?”

Drayce half expected Zohar to look a little annoyed, maybe even brush him off for being nosy. It wasn’t any of his business, after all.

Instead Zohar tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “Did Fiorello tell you something?”

“Only that you have a goal,” Drayce replied honestly as he lifted his chin from his knee to give Zohar an apologetic smile. “I’m a nosy shit, I know. I’m sorry. He wouldn’t tell me anything more than that, though. He’s…just worried about you.”

And…

“And, well, I guess I am, too,” he whispered.

“You are?” Zohar asked. He didn’t sound confused, but his gaze gave the indication that he was a little puzzled by his soft admission.

Drayce sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as his shifted his gaze to look at something else other than Zohar. “Well, yeah,” he murmured. “I mean…this goal you have. Is it really something you have to do alone? It…doesn’t seem fair to me, you know?”

Zohar released a sigh and Drayce hold back a wince, waiting for to be told to mind his own business. However, he felt the side of his bed shift, as if Zohar had just sat down. Drayce quickly turned to look and, yep, Zohar had done just that. He sat himself on the edge of his bed and was turned to face him fully.

“It…would be for the best if I don’t involve anyone else,” Zohar said with a sense of reluctance in his voice.

Drayce didn’t know what to say to that. Not in a way that wasn’t intrusive. He also couldn’t help his concern. What kind of…trouble was he in? It had to be something difficult if he felt it would be not to allow others to help, to know.

Zohar suddenly reached out to gently take a hold of Drayce’s chin, to lift his gaze toward him and gave him a small smile. “You’re dying to know more, aren’t you?” he questioned.

“I am,” Drayce immediately responded, not seeing the point in lying or brushing off the remark because it was simply true. “I’m sorry.”

Zohar breathed out suddenly through his nose but his smile stay in place. He actually looked amused by his response.

But there was…there was something Drayce wanted Zohar to know. He wasn’t asking because he was just nosy. Not just because it may prove interesting. He was asking because…he wasn’t sure, honestly. He just wanted to help him in some way.

There was this hurt in Zohar’s eyes. He carried a hurt he shouldn’t alone. It wasn’t fair.

Drayce reached up to wrap his hand around Zohar’s wrist and slowly tug his hand from his chin. But he didn’t push his hand away. His own hand stayed firm, but gentle around Zohar’s wrist.

“Listen, you…you don’t have to tell me anything,” Drayce said as he pulled his leg away from his chest to shimmy himself toward Zohar a little more. “I get it. It’s none of my business. It’s ok. So don’t feel pressured into telling me. Just…you can hang around here, you know? I mean the library upstairs may be useful to you in some way. You don’t have to join as a guildmember or anything.”

Zohar lowered his hand as he looked at Drayce with wide eyes, his mouth parted slightly. He looked so surprised. Stunned. He sat silently for the longest moment, just staring at Drayce, gazing into his eyes.

And for some reason, though he felt a little awkward, Drayce couldn’t take his own eyes away.

Suddenly, Zohar lifted his hand again, the one that Drayce still held onto, and cupped the side of his face as he leaned forward. “…I see it now,” he murmured as he threaded his fingers through Drayce’s hair at his temple and behind his ear.

Drayce was startled by how close he was and how cool his hand felt against his cheek. “Huh?”

“Why the Moon Legacy activated for you,” Zohar said softly.

With Zohar’s hand still gently pressed against the side of his face, Drayce furrowed his brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Zohar shook his head slightly, though made no attempt to pull his hand back. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to do things alone. I don’t know how to open up to another. I do not know how to respond to someone when they offer me compassion like you have.”

Drayce drew in a sharp breath. “That’s…”

“Though I am currently unwilling to say anything more, a part of me wishes I could,” Zohar confessed softly, the regret in his voice palpable. “Maybe one day I’ll find the courage to talk.” He suddenly sighed and reluctantly pulled his hand back, his fingertips brushing the side of Drayce’s face in one last lingering touch. “Until then…”

Drayce wasn’t sure why his heartrate suddenly peaked, but he nodded his head and swallowed thickly. “I understand. Whenever you’re ready.”

“I will tell that caretaker of yours that you are awake,” Zohar said as he suddenly and abruptly leaned back and took to his feet. “I’m sure you are hungry.”

“Yeah,” Drayce murmured, feeling unnaturally dazed for some reason. “I guess I kinda am.”

What…

What exactly just happened?


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is totally an info dump but we finally learn the truth of the Forgotten Princess~ I think you’ll find it interesting, so enjoy reading~!

The light of the roaring fire cast the seating room with an orange glow. A comforting sight as the wind had picked up outside. It rattled the windows and the wind uttered high-pitched shrills as it grew and faded.

Drayce sat on a high-back chair close to the fire, his injured leg upon a cushy footstool. The other members of his guild sat or stood in numerous locations around the room. Faelen sat on the couch with Blayke next to him, and Caelem next to him. Fiorello sat on another chair with a book in his hands while Nashoba lay comfortably on the floor in front of the fireplace.

Standing before a large bay window, Zohar had chosen to stay, which was something that surprised Drayce but he was relieved that he selected to do so. The wind was a gale outside and it was safe and warm within the Crescentia.

They all sat silently as they waited with anticipation for any information that Shashi, Kamali, and Ashton were able to attain from the myriad of scrolls and books they had discovered. They all wondered the same thing; had they finally discovered the truth of the Forgotten Princess? Or where their still so much more for them to do and to discover?

Thankfully, Shashi entered the room with a large notepad in one hand. Behind him were Ashton and Kamali. They didn’t wear grim expressions. They looked intrigued and yet somehow…concerned?

“Is everything all right?” Drayce immediately asked as the three of them walked into the room.

“The documents and scrolls you’ve discovered are intriguing indeed,” Shashi said as he moved to stand before the fireplace to place himself at the centre of attention. Though he seemed to regard Drayce mostly. “The vast majority of your recovery are that of diaries. Diaries of the Forgotten Princess.”

Diaries? That meant they could learn personal information on the Forgotten Princess and maybe learn if she had indeed stolen the Radiant Moon and why.

Drayce sat up straighter in his chair. “What did they say? Are they all readable?”

Shashi gave him a small smile. “Allow me to give you the brief version,” he said as he lowered his gaze and flipped through the thick notebook in his hands. “From what we could obtain she was indeed the one who stole the Radiant Moon all those years ago. These diaries begin the day that the Forgotten Princess, who was named Lilith, had been banished from the royal family. The earlier entries are, as you can imagine, full of her…indignities of her situation. And declarations of revenge.”

Upon hearing that, Drayce couldn’t help but wince.

“But,” Shashi quickly continued. “That tone soon changed. It appeared that she had been quite literally kicked out onto the streets of Iorys. And it was on those streets that she ran into someone. A man. A scholar. Someone who decided, despite her spite and continuous expression of hatred and vindictiveness, she would be a wonderful addition to his band of travelling researchers.”

Drayce couldn’t help but feel a sense of amusement appear in his chest. And yet it felt oddly familiar. Of course it was. It was a family trait, after all. Encountering people who were troubled or in trouble and taking them in and under their wing was something that his father and grandfather did. Something Drayce did.

Nice to know that people were doing the same thing centuries ago!

“It took a while, a few years it seemed, but Lilith soon learnt the ways of travelling and researching,” Shashi said as he flipped through his notebook. “And needless to say she became quite adept to it. Through hard work and dedication she had earned herself the title of a scholar.”

“She became a scholar?” Drayce questioned as he perked up a little. “What happened afterwards?”

Shashi idly nodded his head. “She stayed within that band of researchers. However, it seems that several years into her banishment, a few years after becoming a scholar, her brother and the Moon Mage had managed to find her. They presented her with the offer of her to return and find redemption under the watchful eye of the royal family.”

That confused Drayce for a second. If they ask her to return, why were there no documentations of her in the royal achieves?

“But she declined,” Shashi explained. “She felt that her punishment for stealing the Radiant Moon was just and she had yet to forgive herself for her own betrayal. In fact she was the one who asked to be wiped from the royal achieves for she didn’t wish to tarnish her family’s name any more than she has.”

Oh…Oh, that…would explain so much.

It took Drayce a moment or two to allow the information he learnt to properly sink in. Lilith had the chance to return under the royal family name, but declined? She had her reasons, he was sure of it. But what could they have been? Was it all from guilt? Or was meeting that that man and becoming a scholar what made her want to keep her life as a simple denizen of Iorys?

“So the rest of the diaries are detailing her time as a scholar?” Drayce questioned. “And those scrolls? Were they documents of her life as a royal?”

Shashi nodded his head. “That’s correct.”

“That was the reason they were hidden?” Blayke was the one to ask. He had leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees, a stance he took whenever he was insatiably curious about something. “They couldn’t bear to destroy royal documents so opted to hide them instead?”

Again, Shashi nodded his head as his gaze stayed focused upon his notes. “She had requested her brother and the Moon Mage to keep her royal linage hidden. And they agreed. The three of them forged the stone chest in the labyrinth and was hidden from those who would use the fact that the one of royal blood had chosen to stay with the people to their advantage. The Moon Legacy was created by her for her to carry and she waited for someone to see her past actions and still feel compassion towards her.”

She…had changed so much, hadn’t she? No, not changed. She had grown. It was amazing.

“Well that explains why Drayce activated the Moon Legacy,” Blayke suddenly muttered.

Drayce blinked and turned to look at his best friend with a confused look. “Huh?”

Blayke, however, ignored him and instead glanced over at Kamali. “But Kamali said that there’s something else sealed away in the stone chest. Any idea of what that could be?”

“Something referred to as the last royal connection,” Shashi surprisingly answered swiftly as he snapped shut his notebook and folded his arms loosely across his chest. “How to release the seal, I’m unsure. Perhaps when we uncover the Radiant Moon, it will be what is needed.”

That couldn’t happen until tomorrow night. When there was a full moon.

“That’s something we have to wait to see,” Drayce said idly as he folded his hand upon his lap. “What happened with the Radiant Moon during those years?”

Shashi sighed and shook his head slightly. “She doesn’t know. When she had managed to physically lay her hands upon the magical staff, she was blinded by a bright light and it disappeared. Unfortunately for her the light drew the attention of others. In later entries she admits that she hadn’t gone looking for it for she was still afraid of her past self, about her past actions. And she was so afraid that she would relapse. She also didn’t want to confront it because she didn’t feel worthy.”

Drayce felt a small smile spread across his lips. “Sounds like she grew up a lot.”

“Indeed,” Shashi said as a soft smile also appeared on his lips and he lifted his chin to look up at the ceiling wistfully. “She learnt from her experiences.”

Owning up to past mistakes, to take responsible and to accept punishment – that took courage. Drayce felt proud of her.

Shashi suddenly sighed as he lowered his gaze and turned to look directly at Drayce. “Another reason she wished to remain where she was, was that she had a forged a life of her own out with the people,” he continued. “Met someone who she adored and later married. That scholar who took her in. They started a family of their own. She…decided that she was happier where she was.”

Ah, she also found her happiness. That was honestly reassuring! Though she carried great guilt, she still allowed herself to move on with her life, and to live her life.

“Did she mention the man she fell in love with?” Drayce asked.

Unexpectedly Shashi’s expression turned…cautious. “She married a man with the last name of…Pendragon.”

The room fell silent and Drayce felt his eyes widen and his breath hitch in his throat.

…What? P-Pendragon? Was he sure?!

“Isn’t that Drayce’s last name?” Faelen’s timid question broke the still silence.

“Wait…” Blayke muttered with a frown before his eyebrows shot toward his hairline and he looked mildly alarmed. “Does that mean Lilith is Drayce’s ancestor?”

“That’s…” Drayce tried to say something but he just couldn’t find anything to say.

“Highly possible, yes,” Ashton said from across the room. “If so, that technically means that he is that of royal blood.”

Drayce didn’t hear the mumblings and questionings from his guildmates after that. All he could hear were the words Pendragon and royal blood. He was speechless and his mind fell blank which was very unusual for him. He didn’t know what to think. Pendragon was his family’s name, after all. It was an ancient name. Said to have existed as long as the royal family’s name had. Perhaps longer.

So did that mean that Lilith, the Forgotten Princess, was his ancestor? But if that was so, then that meant he could have ties to the Earthlain royal family? It was a long time ago, but the possibility was still there.

He wasn’t sure why but he felt that she was.

And he needed to know more.

“I want to read the diaries,” Drayce said firmly as he looked directly as Shashi. “All of them. Tonight.”

Shashi and Ashton shared a brief look from across the room. They shared a silent conversation with their eyes and Drayce figured that they were hesitant because he was still recovering from his injury and was still exhausted from said pain.

But surprisingly Ashton nodded his head and turned to look at Drayce. He then gave him a wry smile. “Not happy with you staying up all night reading, but these diaries should keep you in one place and off that leg of yours for a few hours.”

Drayce half chuckle, half snorted. Trust Ashton, the overzealous caretaker to think that way.

“Well, I think it would be best for Drayce to return to his room for his readings,” Fiorello suddenly stated. “Falling asleep in a bed would be far more comfortable than sitting upright in a chair.”

“Sounds more than fair,” Shashi said as he moved away from the fireplace and passed by Ashton who had moved toward Drayce, to no doubt carry him once again. “Kamali and I will bring the diaries to you.”

“Appreciate it, Shashi,” Drayce said as he carefully lifted his injured leg from the footstool and scooted to the edge of his chair.

Just as he had thought, the moment Ashton was close enough the green-haired scholar bent down and effortlessly scooped him up into his arms. He knew that Ashton was quite the skilled care-taker, but Drayce was always so surprised by how physically strong he was. He wondered if it was from the years of dragging his father and grandfather around by the ear. Or sometimes by the ankle in order to get them to rest and recuperate.

Deciding not to test his luck with Ashton’s cooperation of letting him read the diaries; Drayce didn’t make a comment about Ashton’s dedication to his care-taker role. Instead he simply draped an arm around his shoulders and let him carry him around.

Ashton made short work of carrying him upstairs and into his room. He immediately placed him back onto his bed and was, of course, unable to stop himself from doing a little bit of fussing. Propping up Drayce’s pillows and ensuring that he was comfortable. He also lit his bedside lamp before closing and securing locking the doors to his balcony.

Drayce just couldn’t help but be amused by Ashton’s fussing. It was endearing. He would make a wonderful husband to someone one day.

Not long after Drayce had settled in Shashi and Kamali appeared with the leather bound books. Looking at them now they looked like those people would use as diaries. And there was quite a few of them.

“Here,” Shashi said as he plucked a book from atop of the stack and handed it to Drayce. “This is the first diary. The others are numbered also.”

“Thanks again, Shashi, Kamali,” Drayce said as he propped himself into a comfortable sitting position and eagerly took the diary from him.

“We’ll leave you alone for now,” Ashton said. “But I will pop in once and a while to check in on you.”

Of course he would. And more than ‘once in a while’, Drayce was sure.

“I’ll be right here,” Drayce said as he gave Ashton a smile and opened the diary to the first page.

Ashton simply nodded his head as he herded the two purple-haired brothers from the room. And Drayce waited until the door to his room was closed before he turned his attention to the diaries and began to read.

As he read the first diary and moved to the second, he had to admit that they were actually quite painful to read.  
   
Ranting and raving about the injustice, about the so-called betrayal of her brother and his close friendship with the Moon Mage. Lilith’s diary entries were that of eccentric and egotistic ramblings. It was so hard for him to read without cringing and wincing his way through, skipping many of the passages.

He just couldn’t comprehend the way she used to think. She used to demand such eccentric things. Demanded to be the centre of attention. Demand things that would put other lives at risk for her sole benefit. He just could not wrap his head around anything she wrote in her early entries.

But as he moved through the diaries the shrilling of indignities began to change. Slow at first, but Lilith began to mature. No, she began to grow. She began to realise that though she had once been a princess that did not mean she was entitled to whatever it was that she wanted. That putting the lives of others at risk wasn’t a sign of respect. And respect was earned, not given because of birthright. Even royalty needed to earn the trust and respect of the people.

Her change didn’t really begin until she met her future husband though. A man known as Astrio Pendragon. A man who was possibly Drayce’s distant ancestor. An man who took one look at Lilith and decided that she would be perfect for the partner of a Treasure Hunter.

Lilith, of course, appeared insulted. But Astrio would not be deterred.

It was interesting to read as she slowly began to mellow out. Her thoughts slowly shift from revenge against her brother to focusing on other things like researching myths of Yggdrasil and spending her days wandering the lands of Arcania with Astrio. Her rantings of unfair treatment replaced with bemused thoughts at meeting different kinds of people that inhabit the continent.

And her feelings of resentment of Astrio making her join him on a few journeys to appreciating his efforts of including her. To eventually realising that she couldn’t see her life without him.

She mentioned the Radiant Moon often, first writing her resentment about how it chose her brother over her. And then to her musings of whether the Radiant Moon was safe and how she wanted to find a way to truly apologise to the Radiant Moon itself. She lamented how she allowed her selfishness get the better of her and how she could have caused great tensions between the two races. She realised that not only were her actions traitorous, they were dangerous.

That was her greatest regret. Which she carried with her for the rest of her life.

The diaries were long and there were many. But the deeper Drayce delved into them, the more intrigued he became. Watching as Lilith grew from a selfish princess to adoring mother and wife was truly captivating. Going from ego-driven, to guilt-ridden, and then to forgiving herself for past deeds.

She grew as a person.

The Moon Legacy was created for a benign purpose and she was the first to carry it. It was handed down to her child. But what happened after that, it was unclear. No surprise. The end of the Legendary War was a thousand years ago. Take a few years off of that and that was how old the Moon Legacy was.

But it truly was created for a good cause. She simply wanted to keep her royal legacy hidden. Not because of shame, but because of protectiveness. She didn’t want her beloved children and husband to have to suffer for her mistakes. There were many different kinds of people out there who would have relished in the chance to cause trouble for the Earthlain royal family. And Lilith wasn’t going to allow those she had come to love to suffer.

She was…really a good, kind person.

However, it was the last entry that caused a few tears to spring to his eyes.

_This will be my last entry. My beloved husband has passed and I will soon follow._

_And I am content. I have lived a wonderful life. A life full of adventure, excitement, and most importantly; meaning. Purpose. A life where I was of compassionate service to others and needed, wanted nothing but a sincere smile in return. A life I am certain I would not have had the fortune to enjoy had not been that chance encounter with my beloved Astrio._

_I have many regrets in my life. Many things that I look back upon and I am dismayed at my past behaviour. How petty, how selfish, how volatile I used to be. So entitled. So violent and unforgiven. My family was right to banish me from that life._

_But as I look back over the many years, I soon realise that though I regret bringing pain and uncertainty to my family, I do not regret my life. I understand what I did was wrong and I understand that I may never be fully forgiven by those of the royal family or of the four races._

_And I do not need their forgiveness anymore. My husband has given me forgiveness, given me trust, given me meaning._

_I am not the Forgotten Princess. I do not wish to be known as such. I want to be known as the devoted wife to an adoring husband and the equal partner to a talented treasure. I am simply Aura Pendragon. Treasure hunter and archaeologist. Now, as I look back, I come to understand that I was never meant to be a princess. And now I am content with that._

_I hold no grudges toward my brother and the Moon Mage. They did what was expected. It broke my brother’s heart to banish me. His love for me was something I never understood until that day he found me toiling in my beautiful rose garden. He and Moon Mage sincere as they ask me how I fare. And listened when I asked that I be left separated from the family for this is where I wished to be._

_My time is slowly coming to an end. My beloved children move close to me. They shed their tears and yet they smile. They know that I will not be gone forever. I will join my husband once again. Forever by his side._

_The one with the kindest soul, the one who holds this diary in your hands and has read my life story I have but one thing to ask of you. All I ask is that you allow me to rest beside my darling husband. Allow me to sleep peacefully with the man that changed my life for the better. Allow me to understand true contentment by joining my beloved in the afterlife. Let our graves remain forever untouched. I am not of royalty. I am more than that. I am a wife, a mother, an explorer, and a treasure hunter._

_My legacy will continue on and that is all I could ask for. My life story will be kept hidden until those, such as you beloved reader, with kindness in their hearts can finally put my painful past to rest._

_Let me ask of just one more thing from you beloved one; find the Radiant Moon of Compassion. And present it to the Earthlain Royal Family in my stead. Allow it to finally come home to rest._

_May your compassion be the most wondrous treasure this world has ever seen._

_Sincerely,_

_Aura._

Drayce carefully closed the book before he set it aside and leaned back against the pillows behind him. He used the heels of his palms to wipe at the tears that had spilled along his lashes.

He was more than certain now that Aura was his ancestor. And he was proud about that. Proud of how far she came. He didn’t care that she had royal blood. That didn’t matter.

What mattered was that she was a Pendragon. And she adored the title. Adored her husband, loved her family; her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She lived such an amazing life, and she was grateful for it. She had realised her mistakes, took responsibility for her past actions, and sought ways to find not only forgiveness from her brother and the Moon Mage, but forgiveness from herself. She grew. She learnt from every experience. And she enjoyed her life.

Drayce was so proud of her.

One day he would like to find her grave where she slept beside her husband. Just so he could visit them, visit his ancestors and promise to them that he would carry on the Pendragon legacy of being the best damn treasure hunter he could be.

He had a long line of compassionate and loving Pendragons to make proud, after all.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite feeling ill this week I managed to finish this. Fortunate I had not of it done before I fell ill so just had to fill in the blanks so to speak. It’s hard to believe that after this chapter there’s only two left! But that’s ok – there’s plenty more sagas to come. I have other floors to do yet. I also have other CtS sagas to do. I have ideas everywhere so there’s no fear of ever running out of things to write about XD Anyway enough blathering from me. Hope you enjoy reading!

The morning light filtered through the open windows of the seating room, Drayce sat in the centre of the three person couch. Dressed in comfortable clothes, he glanced idly down at his leg. Still heavily bandaged, but it wasn’t aching as badly as it had been previously. Fiorello reassured him that the wounds inflected by the wild dog were healing nicely. And the threat of infection had passed.

In other words he was in reasonable shape to visit the labyrinth tonight when there was a full moon.

Upon hearing the sound of some approaching Drayce lifted his gaze to glance over his shoulder in time to see Ashton walk in. With a pair of crutches hitched under his arm.

"Don't make me regret giving these to you," Ashton said as he presented the crutches toward him.

Drayce just had to laugh as he made a grab for the crutches. "Dude, with both you and Blayke watching my every move like a pair of hawks, I wouldn't dare to try anything funny."

The corner of Ashton’s mouth twitched into a half smile, but he didn’t verbally respond. Instead he helped Drayce to stand up without putting any pressure on his injured leg and helped to position the crutches in the way that was most comfortable. Having to rely on two wooden sticks to walk upright wasn’t going to be completely and utterly comfortable, but Drayce was still glad to have them.

Staying in bed and twiddling his thumbs would send him stark raving mad. Not to mention everyone around him, too.

Also worth mentioning was the fact that seeing him up and about would put the other’s concerns and worries at ease. He was the leader of this guild; he needed to show them how strong he was so they didn’t need to worry about him.

“You won’t be running any marathons with those crutches, but at least they’ll keep you occupied,” Ashton said as he continued to watch Drayce with a cautious gaze. “An inactive treasure hunter is probably worse than an overworked one.”

Again, Drayce had to laugh as he carefully concentrated on getting a hang of his new crutches.

A few moments later the rest of his guild gathered into the seating room with him. And they appeared relieved to see him up and about, even on the crutches. Better yet Zohar was also with them. He must have chosen to stay the night, which was good. He was liked amongst the guild, after all. He was more than welcome to stay.

“How are you feeling?” Faelen asked as he cautiously approached him. “Is your leg all right?”

Drayce grinned at them as he balanced himself on his good leg. “I’m doing good. Doesn’t even hurt right now.”

“It will if you put any pressure on it,” Fiorello promptly warned.

“Which is why I’m using the crutches like a good boy,” Drayce pointed out as quickly.

Kamali chuckled into his hand before he turned to look at Drayce with curiosity in his eyes. “Did you manage to read all the diary entries?”

Drayce carefully rested his injured foot atop of his good one. “I did actually. There was a lot but I read them all. It was, well, captivating watching as Aura grew from a petty princess to compassionate scholar.”

“Yes, I agree,” Kamali said with a smile as he restlessly fiddled with his hands in front of him. “What do you think? About the possible connection, I mean.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Astrio is my ancestor,” Drayce replied honestly before a grin made its way to his lips. “So is Aura.”

“As to be expected, you’re taking it well,” Blayke commented, that cautious scowl ever present on his face. However, a moment later he sighed and raked a hand through his hair. And then asked a surprising question. “Should we tell Ramus about your possible connection to the Forgotten Princess?”

Drayce fell silent for a moment. He uttered a sigh before he lowered himself upon a chair to ease the slight ache in his back. He idly draped his lands over the hand-holds of his crutches as he became lost to his thoughts.

To be completely honest he hadn’t given that much thought. It was a good question though. Since Aura was Lilith, the Earthlain Princess, that meant that she was also connected to Ramus, the now prince of the Earthlian Royals. She was his ancestor also.

So…that brought up the question of Drayce and Ramus being very, very distant relations.

The fact that he might have royal blood wasn’t all that concerning to Drayce. He wasn’t interested in possibly using that distant connection to his advantaged. He didn’t consider the blood that ran through his veins as royal. He was a treasure hunter. Just like with every other Pendragon before him.

Just like Aura when she passed. She didn’t die a princess; she died a beloved mother, wife, scholar, archaeologist, and treasure hunter.

To Drayce that was more important.

“I don't want to keep anything from him,” Drayce decided. “Besides, Aura wanted to be a treasure hunter and gave up her royal title. And I'm sure Ramus would love to know everything about his ancestor as well. Let's give him the diaries to read.”

Blayke still looked worried. Probably worried should anyone else learn of Drayce’s royal connection they would try to take advantage of it. He was such a worry-wort. Despite Drayce’s willingness to announce his treasure hunting credentials, he wasn’t going to go around sprouting about his distant relations having once been a princess. Aura wouldn’t appreciate it, after all.

“If you're sure,” Blayke said finally, relenting and accepting his decision.

Drayce gave him a comforting smile. “He’ll appreciate it, I’m sure. Before that, though, I want to find Aura's and Astrio's final resting place.”

That seemed to catch everyone by surprised as they all fell silent and stared at him.

“Why's that?” Faelen asked as he tilted his head to the side and twitched his ears.

“To pay my respects,” Drayce answered. “I don't want either of them moved as they are quite happy where they are. I still want to see them though.”

Both surprisingly and yet unsurprisingly Ashton immediately understood his need to find them. “They're probably in the old cemetery on the outskirts of town,” he stated.

Drayce looked over at the green-haired scholar and grinned at him. “Wouldn't hurt to spend a couple of hours looking, right?” he said as he set about heaving himself back to his feet. Well, back to his foot. “There's nothing to do until tonight anyway.”

Ashton sighed and shook his head. “You really don't know the meaning of taking it easy, do you?”

Drayce’s grin turned decidedly cheeky. “What treasure hunter does?”

Blayke rolled his eyes again. “Can't argue with that,” he muttered.

Drayce steadied himself upon his crutches before he headed in the direction of the front door. “Let's take a carriage. Hop to, Blayke!”

“You're the one that's hopping around!” Blayke immediately retorted as he all but stomped after him.

Drayce laughed and was about to make a comment about that being a lame comeback when Faelen’s voice caused him to pause and look back at everyone.

“Can I come, too?”

“Of course,” Drayce immediately said with a smile. “The more the merrier.”

Kamali clapped his hands in front of him as he also smiled. “Caelem and I would like to go also,” he said as the therian next to him mutely but eagerly nodded his head.

Drayce laughed again and glanced over his shoulder toward the tall necromancer. The poor guy looked out of place. Drayce didn’t think he did, but the expression of slight discomfort and yet longing on his face indicated to him that Zohar wanted to join in the jovial of the guild. But he was holding himself back.

He didn’t need to do that.

“Zohar?” Drayce said as he gained the necromancer’s attention and he tilted his head questioningly to the side. “Would you like to tag along?”

Zohar shifted his gaze to look directly at him. For a moment Drayce could see a slight internal struggle in his piercing blue eyes. And for that moment he feared that he would curl back into him and decline his offer.

“...Very well.” Zohar’s answer was unexpected but it brought a feeling of relief to Drayce all the same.

“That’s great,” Drayce said with earnest. His gaze lingered on Zohar for a moment longer, longer than probably necessarily before he turned his attention to the others who stood before him. “Anyone else interested.”

“I think the six of you will be enough for this adventure,” Ashton was the one to answer with a friendly smile. “I’ll work with Shashi to get the diaries ready for transportation to the Council Hall.”

Drayce was honestly surprised that Ashton didn’t insist on joining them. He was the notorious caretaker after all. But Ashton probably figured that the six of them was more than enough. And five was enough to keep Drayce out of trouble.

“Hm, I have no interest in cemeteries,” Fiorello answered as he idly patted his medical pouch as he searched for something. “I obviously don't like you heading off with that leg, but having you do something is better than having you go stir-crazy with not doing something.”

Drayce was glad that everyone understood his need to be always doing something. It didn’t matter what that something was, as long as it kept his mind busy. Lying in bed and staring up at the ceiling was like…worse than death or something. Ok, not quite that drastic, but damn near close!

“Believe me, I would be a nightmare if I wasn't allowed to move around,” Drayce couldn’t help but comment with a grin. “Ashton can attest to that.”

Ashton snorted before his expression unexpectedly darkened and his eyes narrowed. “Your father and grandfather are just the same...” he muttered more to himself than anyone else.

Blayke made a noise that was a combination of a scoff and a snort. “With those crutches, he won't get far. I'll make sure of it.”

“Aww, are you going to carry me?” Drayce just had to tease, which promptly earn him a narrow-eyed stare.

However before Blayke could utter a reply, Fiorello chuckled aloud as he pulled a bottle from his pouch and toddled over to Zohar and handed it to him. “I'm sure Zohar will be able to do just that should Drayce get too tired on his feet~”

Surprisingly Drayce felt his cheeks heat up in a blush, which promptly deepened when Zohar nonchalantly nodded his head and dutifully retrieved the bottle of medicine from Fiorello. Who, may he add, was smiling oh-so cheekily.

“W-we’ll get going now,” Drayce said as he turned around toward the front doors.

It was a little bit tricky getting down the front steps but Drayce was thankfully able to do so without causing concern from his teammates. He could tell that they weren’t exactly pleased to have him stumbling about on the crutches as he was clearly still recovering. But they thankfully didn’t say anything or try to coax him back inside.

Equally as fortunate was that they didn’t need to wait long for a carriage to pull up. It was large enough for the six of them. Blayke hopped in first in order to help Drayce in and Zohar supported Drayce as he passed the crutches in before he hefted himself into the carriage. It was thankfully easy with Blayke grasping his hand while Zohar supported him with hands on his back.

Drayce quickly settled in the middle of one of the seats with Blayke on the left of him and Zohar on the right. Across from him on the other seat and with their backs toward the driver sat Caelem, Kamali, and Faelen. The two therians were eagerly looking out the windows while Kamali sat comfortably between them with a small smile on his lips.

Shortly after that they were on the move through the city.

“This city is pretty big, isn’t it?” Faelen commented as he stared out the window.

Kamali nodded his head and folded his hands atop of his lap. “Yes. It is believed to have been built on the fallen remains of the Despot’s fortress that he created during the Legendary War.”

“I heard stories about that,” Drayce immediately perked up. “Do you think that there are remains still hidden beneath the city?”

Next to him Blayke sighed and punched his thigh lightly. “One mystery at a time.”

Drayce immediately turned to him and wrinkled his nose in annoyance. “Hey!”

Kamali lifted his hand to his lip and chuckled softly. He lowered his hand and smiled, seemingly ready to respond when his gaze flickered to the redheaded therian next to him. He tilted his head to the side, which prompted Drayce to turn his attention to Caelem as well.

Though Caelem seemed interested in the passing scenery, his ears were folded back slightly. He appeared nervous, wincing subtly every now and again.

“Hm? Is everything all right, Cal?” Drayce asked.

Caelem tensed in his seat, his ears springing up straight as he turned to look at him with a sheepish expression on his face. “Ah, yeah. Just a little nervous,” he admitted.

Ah, nervous about those bandits no doubt. Completely reasonable.

“There is no mana residing upon you,” Kamali said as he patted Caelem gently on the knee. “That necromancer will not be able to sense you now.”

“Even if they do, we’ll just sic Blayke onto them,” Drayce added jokingly, yet comforting as well.

Blayke folded his arms across his chest and snorted. “Should have let me do that from the beginning.”

Kamali and Faelen chuckled while Drayce grinned at his best friend. Protectiveness at its finest. But Caelem was greatly comforted by that. The tension in his shoulders and ears eased and he appeared relaxed.

“Ok,” Caelem said with a small smile on his lips.

They fell into silence after that, only the sound of the wooden wheels and horseshoes on stone laden roadways. Drayce turned to look to his right where Zohar sat silently as he stared out the window. His eyes, however, held a faraway look to them, as if he wasn’t paying attention to the scenery and instead was lost to his own thoughts. Though his expression was stoic, his jaw appeared tight.

Was he…uncomfortable? Or reminiscing on something?

Drayce didn’t want to disturb him, though he was curious.

A few more moments of silence passed before the carriage turned along a narrow and seemingly rarely used pathway that snaked along the old part of the city. Thick forests with small huts dotted along the road. Finally, they paused in front of an ancient stone archway and tall steel gates with the words “Iorys’ Cemetery”.

Naturally, everyone was both eager and cautious to get out of the carriage to look around.

Zohar slipped out first and immediately turned back toward them. Drayce was able to perch himself in the doorway of the carriage and was slightly surprised when Zohar reached up his hands and placed them on Drayce’s waist. Drayce felt a strange heating sensation appear on his cheeks, but he smiled sheepishly as he reached out himself to rest his hands on Zohar’s shoulders.

Then carefully and gently, Zohar lifted Drayce from the carriage and placed him onto the ground. His hands remained against Drayce’s side until Blayke hopped out with the crutches. He handed them to Drayce with an odd expression on his face. A slight scowl of protectiveness for some reason. But he didn’t say anything and Drayce didn’t point out his expression. Instead he simply uttered a thanks to both Blayke and Zohar as he retrieved the crutches and jammed them under his armpits to get himself balanced.

As everyone else clambered from the carriage, Drayce turned to look at the cemetery.

It was located on the side of a hill, which overlooked the city, though the view was mostly disrupted by the tall, thick forests that encircled the cemetery. The stone crypts and headstones seemed to loom over them. They were a faded grey with green moss mixed with black mould in patches climbing along the sides of the tombs. Some headstones were small and simple, while many more were eccentric with grand statues and faded engravings. Steel fencing encircled the smaller tombs while the large family plots were guarded with large steel doors.

It was quite stunning. And yet was also a mixture of gloom and silent respect. It would certainly be an unnerving and oppressive place at night. Would cause even those with the most rational minds get lost in their own imaginative fears.

With the driver of the carriage agreeing to wait for them, Drayce shuffled to the tall, black gates and was relieved to see that they weren’t locked. The creaked ominously loudly when he pushed them open, though.

They appeared to be the only ones there. Perhaps the first to visit in many years.

“These tombs are certainly quite old,” Kamali whispered as he glanced around in awe.

“And eccentric,” Blayke muttered as he also looked around, his expression of awe a lot more subtle than those of the others.

Caelem cautiously approached a large stone crypt with a black steel door and poked it with a fingertip. “They haven't been opened for centuries,” he commented.

Kamali nodded his head as he lifted a hand to play somewhat nervously with a strand of his hair. “Hm. Iorys actually has two cemeteries,” he explained. “This is the oldest, the one that predates the Legendary War and the few decades after. It soon ran out of room, though, so another had to be built on the other side of the city. A few causalities of the war are said to rest here also. Though...there were many that couldn't be returned.”

“There's so much history,” Drayce said when he noticed that many of the tall tomb had emblems that felt and looked somewhat familiar to him. He probably saw pictures of them in the many books detailing myths and legends that his grandpa would read to him when he was a kid. “Will need to come back at a later date to explore properly.”

Unexpectedly, but again not really, Blayke sighed. “Another place to explore…”

Drayce grinned broadly. “Bellyache all you want. You’re interested, too~”

“Oh, shut up,” Blayke scoffed with a slight blush on his cheeks and he promptly folded his arms. “Anyway, let’s pair off. Cover more ground that way.”

That was a good idea, actually. They only had a few hours to spare before they had to return to the Crescentia to get ready for a jaunt into the labyrinth at night.

“I’ll go with Kamali!” Faelen volunteered cheerfully which prompted Kamali to cover his mouth as he laughed again.

“Well then, Caelem should go with Blayke,” Drayce instructed. “I’ll hop along with Zohar. Shout if you find anything.”

“Don’t push yourself,” Blayke said as he gave Drayce a stern look.

Drayce simply waved him off and watched as they broke off into two groups. Kamali and Faelen took one path, Faelen eagerly asking Kamali questions most likely about his knowledge on the city. While Blayke and Caelem took another smaller path, Blayke taking the slight lead while Caelem stayed just half a step behind him but still quite close. It was good to note that he wasn’t as nervous as before.

It was also good to see his guildmates getting along well.

After watching his guildmates for a moment, Drayce finally turned his gaze to Zohar. He immediately noticed that Zohar had his chin lifted and his eyes looking slightly upwards. Drayce couldn’t see anything of note in his line of sight, but Zohar seemed focused on something.

“You ok, Zohar?” Drayce asked as he hobbled around on his crutches to face him. “You’ve been quiet.”

Zohar blinked, as if he had just snapped himself out of a trance. He then turned his gaze back toward Drayce and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’m lost in my thoughts,” he said before his brow furrowed slightly. “Are you certain you are up for entering the labyrinth tonight?”

Drayce tilted his head to the side. “You mean my leg? I’ll be fine. With everyone there, I’m sure we’ll find the Radiant Moon.”

Zohar didn’t appear all that convinced, but he nodded his head slowly nonetheless. He parted his lips to say something but he suddenly turned his head to the right and lifted his chin. It appeared as if he was trying to listen to something.

A bubble of concern appeared in Drayce’s chest. “Zohar?” he asked softly.

Zohar didn’t say anything at first. Just continued to look off in the distance. Almost as if he was looking at something. “...No. It's nothing. Just voices on the wind.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in question. “Voices?”

Zohar nodded his head and finally turned his gaze back to Drayce. “Necromancers such as myself have the ability to hear the voices of the dead.”

“Oh,” Drayce uttered before that concern from before abruptly reappeared. “Oh, right. A-are you ok here?”

“Do not worry,” Zohar said with a small smile. “They’ve been blessed with eternal rest. There are no malicious voices here.”

Drayce wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but found it reassuring anyway. “What are they saying?”

Again, Zohar didn’t answer right away. He just gazed intently, yet softly at him. He then unexpectedly lifted his hand to gently slip a finger under Drayce’s chin. “...You're an incredibly special person.”

“Huh?” Drayce uttered, his mind going blank.

“Come,” Zohar said instead as he dropped his hand from Drayce’s chin and abruptly turned back in the direction he had stared in only moments ago. “This way.”

“Ah, ok,” Drayce said as he hastily took control of his crutches and followed behind Zohar closely.

Zohar walked slowly to allow Drayce to keep pace, thankfully, and he led him deeper into the cemetery. Into an area that had to be the oldest of the graveyard. Stone pathways were unkempt with cracks in the stone work and weeds between the tombs reaching waist high.

As they rounded a large family plot, a small clearing within the graveyard opened up. In the centre was an enormous willow tree. And underneath the tree, nestled safely with the spiralling roots and low hanging branches was a stone crypt with a stone angel lying in mourning atop and at the foot of a long stone sword. The stonework was faded and most of the walls of the crypt were covered in moss and creeping flower vines. But it appeared sturdy and seemingly untouched by man for centuries.

It was actually quite beautiful.

However, it was the crest engraved upon the door of the tomb that caught Drayce’s immediate attention.

That was his family’s crest. The symbol of the Pendragon family.

Drayce felt his breath leave him as he hurried toward the crypt. It took longer than he would have liked to navigate around the spiralling roots, but Zohar thankfully and patiently aided him and within a matter of moments he stood in front of his family crest.

A crest that bore two familiar names.

“This is...it,” he uttered as he stared with wide eyes. “Aura and Astrio.”

He quickly balanced himself on his uninjured foot to bring his fingers to his mouth and released a short, sharp whistle. That was sure to get the other’s attention. He then quickly gripped at the handholds of his crutches and turned himself around so that he could look out for his guildmates.

“Where are you?!” Blayke was heard shouting back.

“Head for the willow tree!” Drayce shouted back.

Less than a minute later four familiar figures appeared from behind another large tomb and immediately headed in his direction. Blayke at the forefront as usual.

“What’s up?” Blayke immediately asked as he strode over to him, failing miserably in hiding his concern even though he was frowning.

“Found them,” Drayce said simply as he motioned toward the large stone crypt with a tilt of his head.

Everyone immediately snapped their attention toward the mighty tomb and collectively their mouths dropped open in awe and surprise.

“It appears undisturbed,” Kamali commented after a moment of silence. “And peaceful.”

“Yeah,” Drayce said as he turned back to his family crest. “They're still here.”

“It's actually quite beautiful,” Blayke commented with a genuine sense of awe in his voice. “They were quite beloved, weren't they?”

Again, Drayce nodded his head and reached out to press his hand against the memorial stone. “Yeah.”

Everyone fell silent as Drayce trailed a fingertip over the names, gently tracing each letter and spelling them out in his head. He then leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the aging stone. "Don't worry, Aura. I'll find the Radiant Moon and bring it home. You can rest easy."

He rested his forehead against the stone for a few moments simply thinking about what he read from Aura’s diaries and of the Radiant Moon itself. When he finally leaned back a slight breeze tussled his hair softly and he liked to think that Aura and Astrio, his ancestors, were appreciative of his actions.

“Drayce,” Blayke said softly. “It's getting late.”

“I know,” Drayce said as he dropped his hand from the stone plague. “We better head back.”

It was surprisingly hard to turn away from his ancestors’ final resting place, but he reassured himself that he would visit them again. When he wasn’t injured and when he found and safely gifted the Radiant Moon back to the Earthlain Royal family.

“Are you all right?” Kamali asked him gently as Drayce hobbled slightly on his crutches.

“Hm? Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry,” Drayce said with a gentle smile. “I'm glad I found them. The next time I visit I'll have found the Radiant Moon. And Aura's story will be heard and understood. Enough time has passed. It needs to be known.”

“For your first official treasure hunt, you certainly went all out,” Blayke unexpectedly commented.

And Drayce laughed as the six of them headed back the way they came to meet up with their patiently waiting carriage driver. “Makes you wonder what my next trick is going to be, doesn't it? Well, we'll just have to find out.”

Next stop; the Cresentia.

And then the labyrinth to finally bring home the Radiant Moon of Compassion.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re up to the second last chapter! Ahhhh can barely believe it myself XD Well, I hope you’ll enjoy reading and let me know what you think about the fluff at the end :3c

As the rays of orange and purple shimmered over the horizon of the setting sun, Drayce felt a sense of nervous anticipation rush through him. His heart wasn’t exactly beating out of control, but it was faster than usual due to the excitement and uncertainty.

It was the night of the full moon.

This night was supposed the time that the light of the Radiant Moon could be seen.

If they don’t find it tonight they’ll need to wait for another moon cycle before they could go searching again.

Drayce sat on the edge of the couch as he stared out the window. “This is it,” he murmured, his voice breaking the silence that had fallen over the seating room where everyone had gathered in preparation.

“Yes,” Shashi replied as he paced over to the window to look out at the darkening sky. “The full moon will be upon us soon.” He turned away from the window to look over at Drayce. “Will you be all right to enter the labyrinth?”

Drayce didn’t immediately answer. His eyes drifted down to his injured leg. It was still heavily bandaged but the pain had most lessened. Neither Ashton or Fiorello were thrilled with the idea of him entering the labyrinth, but both Shashi and Zohar insisted that he needed to go.

He wanted to go also. He didn’t want to miss this chance, this opportunity to finally bring the Radiant Moon home for good. So that Aura could truly rest in peace. And so could the Moon Legacy she created to help it.

“I’ll take my cannon and one of my crutches to be sure,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet and picked up just one of his crutches before he shoved it under his right armpit. “I’ll rely on Decoy Bunkers if anything should happen.”

“C-can I come?” Caelem suddenly asked him, his voice ever so shaky from nervousness. “I want to see it, too.”

Drayce immediately smiled at the red-haired masurao. “Of course, Cal,” he said which caused Caelem to immediately smile brightly with relief. “Stay close to me or Blayke, though, just in case.”

“Yes!” Caelem immediately replied, rather happily at that.

“I'll come too. For extra protection,” Zohar said, his tone firm, leaving little room for argument. Which was unnecessary as Drayce wouldn’t have argued with him anyway.

“Why don't we all go?” Shashi was the one to suggest as he glanced outside the window again. “I wish to see this Radiant Moon as well.”

Surprisingly, Ashton was all for it. “Good idea. Just in case we should encounter any trouble, it would be best if we’re all together.”

Drayce was fairly certain it was because Ashton wanted to keep an eye on him, but he was glad and relieved nonetheless. Everyone being together would also reassure Caelem and make Faelen happy. But that also meant if Drayce accidentally and unintentionally pushed himself too far, Ashton would go into full-fledge caretaker mode and possibly throw him over his shoulder again.

Not a good look for a leader of a guild!

“Well, let’s get going,” Drayce said with a broad smile.

… … … … …

Venturing along the winding stairs and paths leading to the labyrinth was surprisingly easy at night. It was a little disconcerting in a way. But Zohar did say entering the labyrinth was far easier at night. Was the lack of guards something done on purpose, leaving the entrance free for anyone to roam in and out as they pleased? Did the guards not want to risk their own lives trying to keep others out, instead letting them make their own choices to enter at night?

Drayce would have to ask Virgil about it later.

He should probably be thankful for the lack of security. It would have raised a few eyebrows for nine people (and a wolf!) to suddenly waltz in all at once. More so if they find the Radiant Moon, too.

As they stepped into the lush greenery of Tutelary Forest, a feeling of nervousness began to pool in Drayce’s chest. The soft light of the full moon above was all that illuminated their surroundings. The shadowy corners and thick foliage seemed far darker than that he had seen during the daylight hours. Even the rustling of the leaves and the sounds of nature sounded more…subdued, for a lack of a better word.

Their surroundings almost looked…foreign, in a way.

“The labyrinth is so different at night,” Drayce commented as they stepped into the clearing that was located before the stairs and in front of the large pool of water at the very centre of the floor.

“Don’t wander off, Shashi,” Ashton chided as he reached out to take Shashi by the elbow and pull him against his side.

“Don’t start fussing,” Shashi chided in return, but didn’t try to dislodge himself from Ashton’s grip and instead continued to gaze at their surroundings.

Suddenly, Kamali tensed and his head shot up to look at their surroundings in a bewildered manner. “There’s…” he trailed off as he continued to look around. Not exactly frantically, but almost as if he was truly and utterly baffled by something.

“What’s wrong?” Drayce immediately asked.

“There’s an ambience of mana,” Kamali explained. “But I can’t…pinpoint it.” He turned to Shashi and gave him a questioning look. “Brother?”

“Hm, yes, I can feel it,” Shashi replied almost absentmindedly before he tilted his head back to look up at the sky through the slight partings in the canopy above. “It’s here. The height of the full moon.”

Everyone immediately fell into a tense and somewhat uneasy silence.

After a moment Drayce felt something, too.

There was a notable…shift in the air. He couldn’t quite explain it. Something felt different. He felt more aware of their surroundings. Mostly the energy that was slowly building around them. There was a sense of anticipation in the air. Something was going to happen. No…something was coming. Something benign. Gentle.

…The Radiant Moon was here.

Moonlight filtered down through the trees’ canopy and moonbeams danced across the water’s surface. The area was illuminated and bathed in a gentle white light.

Drayce suddenly felt a tingling sensation race down his spine when the moonbeams seemed accumulate in one area over the crystal clear and still waters in front of them. A circular beam of bright light. Heavenly and bright. Brighter than the light of the full moon itself.

“That’s…” Drayce breathed as he stumbled forward a step.

“What?” Blayke immediately questioned.

“There's a light over there,” Drayce paused in his movements to half turn to them and motion toward the obvious light shining from somewhere beneath the water directly in front of them. “In the water. Can't you see it?”

“No,” Blayke immediately replied before he turned to regard everyone else. Silently they all shook their heads in answer and Blayke turned to look back at Drayce with an obvious expression of concern on his face. “No, we can't see it.”

T-they couldn’t see it?

“I can sense a sudden spike in mana, but I can't see anything,” Kamali added.

“But it's so bright,” Drayce insisted as he gripped tightly onto the handle of his crutch to turn around to face everyone. “You-”

“Where is this light?” Shashi interrupted as he quickly took a step toward him.

Drayce wordlessly shifted and pointed back toward the water as he glanced over also. Yup, that bright white light was still there. The colour of moonlight.

Shashi glanced over also and an expression of intense interest appeared on his face. “Hm.” He hummed in thought for a moment with his brow furrowed in concentration. Suddenly he turned back to Drayce and unexpectedly made a grab for his crutch. “Can you walk without this?”

Drayce was understandably startled, but nodded his head as he relinquished his hold on it. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good,” Shashi said as he retrieved the crutch from him and took a step back. He then motioned with his hand to the water. “Go to the water's edge. It's a light only you can see. Go. It's time.”

Drayce stood still for a moment before he nodded his head and turned to face the radiant bright light. His leg still ached slightly but he ignored it to instead focus on the light before him. His steps were a little shaky, but he was moving forward nonetheless.

He soon reached the water’s edge. And the light before him hadn’t faltered in the slightest. It was mesmerising honestly. It was so bright, and yet gentle. It didn’t hurt his eyes to look at it. It was like the glow of the moon. Soft. Gentle.

But…now what?

Drayce turned to look over his shoulder. “Uh, what do I do?” he asked somewhat sheepishly.

“Say the name in your head,” Shashi instructed as Zohar moved to stand next to the scholar.

“Remember the reason why you wish to recall it home,” Zohar added. “Call for it.”

Call for it? Drayce wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. But…he would try.

So he turned around to face the shimmering, glowing light once more. Unconsciously his hands moved to clasp themselves together tightly in front of him as he closed his eyes. He had to remember why he was searching for the Radiant Moon. What it meant to not only him, but to so many others. For the Earthlain Royal Family. For the Moon Mage. For his own ancestors.

For its own sake.

_Radiant Moon of Compassion. It was time to return home_.

Aura was sorry for what she had done in that one careless moment of jealousy and spite. She had learnt her lesson. She had lived a life of peace and servitude. Please forgive her.

So…come home now. Ramus was waiting.

_Please._

From behind his closed eyes Drayce saw a flash of bright light. He immediately opened his eyes and before him, floating majestically upon the clear, still waters of Tutelary Forest was a sceptre. It stood tall, a brilliant blue moonstone as the pinnacle. Crystallised vines curled and wound around the staff, reaching towards the beautiful blue stone. The staff, as tall as Drayce was, appeared to have been made from the purest clear quartz. It shimmered and sparkled under the light of the full moon far above.

It was the Radiant Moon!

It was…beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Slowly Drayce raised his hands toward it. He hesitated for a moment before reaching forward, his hands open and welcoming.

He felt a gentle warmth flow through him, from the very top of his head down to his toes as the Radiant Moon drifted toward him and he enclosed his hands gently around the staff. He knew what this meant. The Radiant Moon had heard his words and accepted them. Accepted him. It was ready to return home, too. Its wait was over.

“It’s…good to finally meet you,” Drayce said softly as the Radiant Moon settled gentle and securely into his hands. And he smiled when the blue moonstone shimmered with a gentle light in response.

He could almost hear a voice in his head say, “I’ve been waiting for you, too.”

“Drayce?”

Promptly remembering where he was and what was occurring, Drayce ensured that he had a firm grip on the Radiant Moon before he turned to face everyone again. And he smiled at their expressions of pure surprise and disbelief.

“We’ve found it, guys,” he said. “The Radiant Moon of Compassion.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at him in awe. But they soon rushed toward him and encircled him, and asking him an array of questions. Was it really the Radiant Moon? How did he know? Where did it come from? How did he get it? A lot of really good questions.

Drayce, however, could only chuckle at their questions. They were all so excited and thrilled at the discovery. Their relief and wonder was palpable. And sincere.

That was what treasure hunting was about, wasn’t it?

“So this is the Radiant Moon of Compassion,” Shashi murmured as he held out a hand toward the beautiful sceptre, but didn’t touch it. “It's truly beautiful.”

“To think that it’s been here for at least nine hundred years,” Ashton commented. However, his attention didn’t seem to be on the Radiant Moon, but rather at their surroundings. “And no one knew.”

It was truly amazing. It was so close, and yet so out of reach.

“Drayce, your foot,” Blayke unexpectedly exclaimed.

“Huh?” Drayce uttered as he immediately glanced down at his injured leg. And promptly realised that he stood upon it fully. It was flat against the ground and there wasn’t a single twinge of pain. He thought that perhaps the discovery of the Radiant Moon had pushed that pain aside.

But as he tested his foot he realised he couldn’t feel any pain. None at all. In fact other than feeling restricted from the thick bandages, it felt completely fine. 

“It doesn’t hurt,” Drayce said with a confused tone.

Fiorello immediately inspected his leg and an expression of confusion also appeared on his face. “It’s been completely healed,” he said.

Wait, that feeling of warmth he felt…Was it…?

Drayce chuckled again. It must have been!

“It was the Radiant Moon, I believe,” Drayce said as he turned his attention back to the stunning blue moonstone.

“It must have healed you in thanks,” Zohar was the one to suggest.

Drayce turned his gaze away from the Radiant Moon to look over at Zohar. Zohar stood at the back of the group, but not excluded in anyway. He looked unsure, and yet there was a tender expression on his face. As if…the thing he had hoped to happen had and he was pleased with the results.

Drayce smiled at him in return and tilted his head to the slight playfully. “I think so, too.”

“Well, well,” a new and completely unfamiliar voice suddenly drawled from the direction leading deeper into the labyrinth. “Isn't this interesting?”

Drayce immediately tensed as did everyone else. “What?” he uttered as he pulled the Radiant Moon close and turned in the direction of the voice.

From a path that led deeper into the first floor three figures appeared. At the very front of the small group was a man dressed similar to that of a dragoon. Shield in one hand as a large cannon rested casually in the other. His long black hair fell down his back and shoulders in flowing waves. His eyes were that of a piercing blue, though one was hidden behind an eyepatch.

He didn’t recognise the tall dragoon with the eyepatch at all. Not even vaguely. But he immediately got a bad feeling from him. The way he actually swaggered toward them, his steps purposeful yet arrogantly casual as a smirk, the smuggest smirk he had ever seen on his lips. He was intimidating and he knew that he was.

Although he didn’t know who the hell this guy was, he definitely recognised the tall pugilist and short necromancer that stood arrogantly on either side of him.

“You guys again, huh?” Drayce said with a tone of annoyance as the others of the guild immediately created a protective circle around him and the Radiant Moon.

“I-it's them,” Caelem whimpered as his ears folded back and he shuffled meekly back.

“Tch,” Blayke spat as he threw out an arm in front of Caelem and urged him to hide behind him, which he did so quickly. And gratefully. He even went as far as to cling lightly on the back of Blayke’s armour.

Drayce felt his own protectiveness rise at Caelem’s reaction.

“So you did save the Therian,” Tomlin commented with a grin that was practically deranged on his lips. “Aren't you guys’ noble?”

“Which is more than can be said for you,” Blayke immediately spat in return as his hand tightened around his rapier. “What the fuck do you want now?”

“Now,” the dragoon drawled at them with that smirk still in place. “Don't go getting all offensive on me. I'm merely a spectator.”

“You’re also outnumbered,” Drayce retorted as he clutched the Radiant Moon against his chest and glared at the unknown dragoon. There was no way in hell he was going to let this guy, this bandit, anywhere near the Radiant Moon or his guildmates.

He wasn’t sure what he could do, but you better believe he would do something!

The dragoon just chuckled, but the mirth from it made Drayce cringe. “I'm not after that sceptre.”

Drayce arched a sceptical eyebrow at him. “I find that hard to believe.”

The smirk on his face seemed to widen at that. “Don't get me wrong, I know that it's worth a shit-ton of money, but I also know that someone as...antagonistic as I wouldn't have been able to get near it.” His gaze locked straight onto Drayce and seemed to forget that everyone else was there. “Right?”

“…What do you know about it?” Drayce asked as he subconsciously tightened his hands around the Radiant Moon.

But when he felt a pulse of energy from the sceptre, he loosened his grip. The energy calmed him ever so slightly. He was still cautious though, which was completely understandable.

“Oh, this and that,” the still unnamed dragoon answered flippantly. “I can also see that thing has a deva or two. So chances are it would beat me senses should I try to take it from you now. I could easily do so, mind you. But for this time only, I'll hold back.”

Drayce felt his eye twitch. This guy…was pure arrogance. And totally getting on his nerves. “How thoughtful of you.”

“I know,” he returned as his smirk took a decidedly more sadistic edge. “It's because I may have found something far more _enticing_ to hunt.”

Drayce really didn’t like the way his eyes seemed to narrow in on him when he said that. And he could feel the others around him also bristled with subtle protectiveness. “...Who the hell are you?”

The dragoon feigned disbelief. “Oh? You don't know who I am? How shameful,” he chided as he took a few steps closer, yet again prompting the others of Drayce’s guild to bristle.

Blayke and Ashton in particular.

“My name is Keane,” he finally introduced himself. “A name you will be hearing a lot, Treasure Hunter.”

Treasure hunter? How did he know he was a treasure hunter? Drayce had only told a small handful of people. Could they have unintentionally told this guy?

“How do you know that?” Drayce demanded.

Keane just sighed mockingly. “Typical Treasure Hunter. Too nosy for your own good. But if you must know; I did some snooping. Imagine my surprise to learn that a Pendragon had moved into town. You come from quite the notorious family, don't you?”

Drayce felt a wry grin slip across his lips. “You have no idea.”

“I should probably be annoyed,” Keane said as he continued to slowly approach them, Tomlin and Bronson staying eerily silent and unmoving behind him. “Treasure hunters like you are quite interfering in the life of a bandit, after all.”

So he actually admitted that he was a bandit. Typical.

“But...” Keane drawled as he once again locked eyes with Drayce, blatantly ignoring everyone else. “You're quite pretty, aren't you? This should be fun.”

…Fun?

“What the fuck does that mean?!” Blayke finally snapped.

Keane’s gaze shifted toward Blayke and his conceited expression faltered for a second. He actually looked agitated. But that smug smirk from before soon returned to his lips and he flippantly waved at them as he changed his trajectory to head in the direction of the stairs leading back into town.

“Unfortunately it's goodbye for now, Pretty Boy,” Keane said as he clicked his fingers arrogantly, summoning both Bronson and Tomlin to follow him. “But we will meet again. And soon.”

Drayce clenched his jaw in annoyance and remained silent until the three of them, those ratty bandits, were out of sight. He didn’t know what that Keane was capable of, but he got a seriously bad vibe from him.

Better make sure that none of his guildmates encounter him again.

“Drayce…?” Faelen worriedly said his name.

Drayce immediately plastered a reassuring smile on his lips as he looked over at Faelen. “It’ll be all right,” he said. “He’s just a cocky bandit. He’s full of hot air.”

Forget him, anyway. They’ve got more important things to think about. For example the beautiful sceptre he was holding!

“Never mind him,” Drayce continued as he loosened his tight grip around the sceptre. “We have the Radiant Moon. Let’s head home.”

“What of the seal on the treasure chest?” Kamali reminded him.

Drayce glanced in the direction of where the stone treasure chest of Aura’s was located. “Let’s return tomorrow morning,” he said as he looked back toward the stairs that would take them back to town. “Not comfortable waltzing around at night. Also it would be best if we can take everything to Ramus at once.”

Speaking of Ramus, their Earthlain Prince was going to get the surprise of his life!

… … … … …

Drayce stood in the library before the table where the Radiant Moon lay upon a white cloth. The room was dark, the only source of light from the full moon outside the open window. It was approximately midnight now, and after the excitement of discovering the Radiant Moon had died down (for the most part at least), everyone had decided to rest for the night.

Tomorrow they would return to the place of the stone treasure chest that Moon Legacy led them to and lift that one last seal. To find the one last piece of Lilith’s life as a princess before she took the name of Aura Pendragon.

Drayce himself should be sleeping. But he was restless. No surprise. The famous treasure he had heard from his childhood lay before him. He was also feeling surprisingly energetic. It was likely from the Radiant Moon. He had felt its energy flow through him after all. And his leg had been miraculously healed completely. No scars. No proof of any kind of injury. The Radiant Moon had healed him.

It truly was an amazing treasure.

Slowly, Drayce reached out to gently trail his fingertips over the magnificent blue moonstone.

He was so glad to have found it. And that it was safe and sound.

And tomorrow it could finally return home.

The sound of footsteps behind him caused Drayce to pull his hand back and to glance over his shoulder. He was some surprised by who had entered the library with him.

“Zohar?” Drayce uttered before a smile spread across his lips and he turned to face him fully. “Hey.”

Zohar nodded his head in greeting as he stopped before him. “Unable to sleep?”

“No surprise,” Drayce replied with a chuckle and turned to look upon the Radiant Moon once more. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he couldn’t help but comment as Zohar stepped beside him to gaze upon the legendary treasure, too.

“Hm,” was all that Zohar said in return.

They fell into a somewhat comfortable silence. Somewhat because Drayce couldn’t help but notice that Zohar seemed to contemplating something. That was what he got from the expression on his face he caught as he glanced at the talented necromancer next to him anyway.

However, before he could ask Zohar if there was something bothering him Zohar cleared his throat. And Drayce immediately turned to give him his attention.

Zohar looked at him for a moment. “I wish to remain,” he suddenly said.

“Remain?” Drayce repeated before his eyes widen. “You're joining the guild?”

Zohar nodded his head once. But it was a strong nod. A resolute one. He had made up his mind.

“That's great!” Drayce said as a broad smile spread across his lips.

Drayce’s enthusiasm for him to join the guild caught Zohar off guard for a moment and he looked genuinely surprised. But his gaze soon softened.

Drayce wanted to ask him about his own goal he had been reaching for all by himself, but decided against it. He didn’t want to remind him of it. And possibly make him reconsider joining.

“I’m…I’m relieved,” Drayce said as he flushed lightly and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Heh. There were times when I thought of you as a guildmate already. You just…fit in so well with everyone, you know?”

“I have…things that I wish to do,” Zohar said and his eyes took on a faraway gaze for a mere moment, but he soon blinked that away to regard Drayce once more. “But I do not see the harm in pushing that aside for a while to join a guild.”

“Ah,” Drayce made a sound of understanding. “You know, just because you’ve joined doesn’t mean you can’t also focus on whatever it is that your goal is. We can help.” He found himself looking deep into Zohar’s eyes. “ _I_ can help.”

Zohar held his gaze and a small smile slipped across his lips. “I know,” he said before a look of unease took over his face. “There’s…”

Drayce urged him to continue. “Hm?”

Zohar pressed his lips together tightly as he mulled over his words. “That is not the reason why I wish to join, though.”

“Oh? What-?”

The question died on Drayce’s lips as Zohar unexpectedly moved to stand behind him. And before Drayce could even consider asking him what he was doing Zohar lifted his arms and gently wrapped them around his shoulders and chest, tenderly pulling him back against his chest.

Drayce’s arms fell limp by his sides as his heartrate suddenly increased as his back pressed against Zohar’s bare chest. His face also felt unexpectedly hot as he felt Zohar press his chin against his right temple almost tenderly.

Zohar was…hugging him? No, w-wait…holding him…

“Eeh?” Drayce stuttered as he attempted to peer up at Zohar but the way he was holding him still, all he could manage was to peer at him from the corner of his eye. “Z-Zohar?”

“I want to join to protect you,” Zohar said, his words unexpected and his voice firm.

Drayce managed to wiggle an arm free and he reached up in an attempt to tug at one of Zohar’s arms when he paused, his fingertips a mere half an inch from Zohar’s arm. “P-protect me?” he murmured, honestly quite confused.

“I do not like the way that bandit was looking at you,” Zohar explained as he moved his head slightly. Almost as if he was…nuzzling him?

“Ah, I see…” was all Drayce could find the words to utter.

So he was worried about that Keane guy as well, huh? Both Blayke and Ashton had already expressed their own concerns to him. But Drayce himself wasn’t worried. Well not really. As long as those bandits focused their attention on him, the safer the rest of his guild would be. That was his logic at least.

Wait…Zohar had declined his other offers to join before stating that he had something he needed to do alone. So did that…?

Was protecting him more important to Zohar right now than his previous purpose?

That was…

Drayce lightly touched his arm. “I…appreciate the support. And I’m glad to have you as a member of my guild. I’ll…also try to keep myself out of danger so you won’t worry so much. But…it’s good to know that I have someone to back me up should anything happen.”

Unexpectedly, Zohar’s arms tightened around him ever so slightly. And Drayce felt his face burn hotter.

It was unnerving how dizzy he suddenly felt.

“A-ah, it’s getting late,” Drayce began to prattle to hide his strange bout of nervousness. “We have to return to the labyrinth tomorrow and then present everything to Ramus at the Council Hall. Heh, there’s a lot of explaining to do…”

Zohar didn’t say anything in return. He just drew in a slow breathe which for some unknown reason made Drayce’s heart skip a beat before he made a slight sound of agreement. And began to pull away from him.

And as Zohar drew his arms away Drayce felt an unexpected cold wash over him and he was left momentarily bewildered at the feeling. However he managed a smile to his lips, albeit a somewhat nervous one, and he walked with Zohar as they both left the library.

Getting some sleep after everything that had happened, after that had happened, won’t be easy. But he had to at least try. Or Ashton would lose his shit again.

That was something he didn’t want to happen…


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’ve finally reached the final chapter to this saga~! I can’t believe it turned out as long as it has, but I’m not all that surprised. When it comes to EO I tend to get carried away~ It was also rather necessary as it was also an introduction to the setting to this series. Now that it has been basically established, future sagas should be shorter. But I can’t make any promises :3 In any case, enjoy the last chapter to this saga!

It was still quite early in the morning as they approached the north-west corner of the first floor. Drayce was in the lead as per usual and they walked cautiously and closely together. A party of six with Blayke, Faelen, Zohar and Kamali. And Nashoba, of course. Everyone keeping a close eye on their surroundings. The two times they had approached this corner of the floor previousy they meet three Wild Dogs and two obnoxious bandits. To say that they were wary and suspicious of every noise was an understatement.

Even more so now that Drayce had the Radiant Moon with him.

It was wrapped in soft white cloth to prevent anyone from outside the guild to know what it was, but Drayce was still very protective of it nonetheless.

Thankfully though, as they stepped into the small clearing where the stone treasure chest was found they hadn’t encountered a single Wild Dog. They didn’t even encounter any other rookie guilds completing their first mission. A good thing in the long run as he didn’t want to have to worry about them when he revealed the entrance in the forest wall that would lead them to that stone chest.

“So far so good,” Blayke was the one to say as the stepped into the middle of the clearing. He took a moment to glance around with a narrow-eyed gaze before crossing his arms and turning to look at Drayce. “So what now?”

Drayce shifted his shield and dropped it onto the ground at his feet and idly kicked out the stand. As his shield propped itself up, he carefully took the Radiant Moon in both his hands and glanced around as well.

“How about this; Blayke, Faelen, Nashoba, and Zohar wait here while Kamali and I inspect the stone chest?” Drayce suggested. “That way we can ensure that no one else gets too nosy and starts asking questions.”

That was honestly _his_ job after all!

“Sounds like the best strategy,” Blayke replied before frowning. “Be quick regardless. I’m not comfortable with having…that here in the labyrinth for too long.”

Drayce idly trailed his finger over the thin binding that kept the Radiant Moon concealed. He absolutely understood Blayke’s concern. Those bandits may have said they wouldn’t go after it now that Drayce had it safely in his possession. But bandits weren’t known for their truthfulness.

So it was better to be safe than sorry.

“As soon as we’re done we’ll gather here and use the Ariadne Thread. And we’ll discuss things back at the Crescentia,” Drayce said as he and Kamali turned toward the very inauspicious opening in the forest wall.

Drayce held the Radiant Moon close to him as he pushed through the thicket of trees and shrubbery. As he stepped into the tiny clearing before the stone treasure chest, he turned to help Kamali through the brambles before they both turned to inspect their previous findings.

The stone chest was completely untouched, from what Drayce could see. Exactly how they had left it. Good. That meant no one else had stumbled across it. Not that they would have been able to do or take anything if they did. The seal needed the Radiant Moon to lift it. He was just glad that some reckless fool didn’t smash the stone to bits in either a fit of vandalism or to profit from the unique stone.

“Ready?” Drayce asked as he turned to look at Kamali.

“Yes, more than ready,” Kamali immediately replied with a small smile.

Drayce returned the smile before he turned his attention back to the Radiant Moon. He slowly began to unfurl the white cloth around it. He started with the crest of the sceptre, where the majestic blue moonstone sat.

And as soon as he exposed the gemstone, it shimmered with a gentle light, once again reminding him of the light of the full moon. But another flash of light caught his attention. He immediately turned to look over at the stone treasure chest and that another light that was a shimmery white and blue radiated from within the chest.

The light in the chest and the glow of the blue moonstone pulsated in rhythm of one another. Then the light within the chest just…disappeared. It seemed to almost fracture before splintering into small particles of light and vanishing from sight. As it did so the light emitted from the blue moonstone also faded. And then it fell…silent.

Drayce shared a look with Kamali. “I think the seal has been lifted,” he said.

Kamali closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again and nodded his head. “Yes, the mana in this area has dissipated.”

Drayce nodded his head in understanding as he carefully wrapped the Radiant Moon back within the safety of its cloth. He then turned to Kamali and smiled. “Well, let’s see what we’ve got.”

“Yes,” Kamali said eagerly as he clapped his hands in front of him.

They both hurried to the treasure chest and looked down. A small cavity, something that had not been there the other day, was situated at the bottom of the crate. And inside of that was a wooden box with exquisite engravings and embroidered silver.

Kamali leaned into the chest and carefully picked up the small wooden chest. He held it carefully but tightly in his hands as he presented it to Drayce. With the Radiant Moon secure in the crook of his arm, Drayce carefully released the latch on the wooden chest and oh-so cautiously lifted the lid.

Inside, sat upon a pillow of red silk was a tiara made of polished silver and emboldened with blue and red gemstones of the purest quality. Also resting upon that pillow of silk was a folded piece of paper. Yellowing and seemingly fragile, but still in good condition.

Inside the lid was a small silver plague. On it written in old Earthlain were the words “Lilith, the Forgotten Princess of the Earthlain Royal Family”.

Kamali glanced upon the tiara and uttered a soft gasp. “Is that…?”

Drayce nodded. Yeah. It was Aura’s tiara.

Though he was itching to know what was written upon the parchment that rested with the tiara, Drayce carefully closed the lid. It would be best to do any further investigation back at the Crescentia. Where they were safe and secure.

But…wow, what a find!

With this…the legacy of Lilith could return to the Earthlain royal family while Aura stayed by her loving husband’s side. They can be both put to rest.

Drayce rested his hand atop of the wooden chest and closed his eyes for a moment to send a soft prayer to Aura. He opened them again and smiled at Kamali.

“Let’s return to the Crescentia,” he said. “And after that, to the Council Hall. We’ve got a lot to explain to Ramus.”

… … … … …

It was around midday when Drayce and his guild strolled into the Council Hall. Drayce cradled the Radiant Moon, wrapped in the white cloth, in the crook of his arm while the rest of his guild carried their other findings.

Yes, the entirety of his guild was present. He even dragged Shashi and Ashton along. Everyone helped out, after all. It was only right that Ramus met his guild, anyway. Since they were going to be working together rather closely from now on.

To say that Ramus was surprised to see Drayce and the entirety of his guild wander up to him with their arms full of books, scrolls, and other items hidden under thick cloth was an understatement. His eyes widened and his mouth literally dropped open in an almost perfect O shape.

It was actually pretty cute seeing the sophisticated prince looking so shocked.

And that look was likely to remain on his face for a while.

“Wh-what’s all this?” Ramus asked him with a slight stutter as he immediately looked to Drayce for answers.

Drayce cradled the Radiant Moon in the crook of his arm and smiled when he felt the gentle hum of spiritual energy from the sceptre. “Well, let’s just say that it’s something that should be discussed behind closed doors.”

Ramus immediately understood what he had insinuated and though he tried to reign in his excitement and curiosity behind royal poise, he still eagerly motioned in the direction of his office. “Yes, of course. This way.”

Clutching their own share of their treasure hoard, Drayce and the others followed Ramus to his office. The room was thankfully big enough for them all to push their way in and for them to be able to safely deposit their findings.

Once they were all inside, Ramus closed the door and turned to look at Drayce expectantly, keeping his gaze on him even as he paced over to his desk. “So, what brings you here today?” he asked, barely able to keep the intrigue from his voice.

“Just let me introduce my guild first,” Drayce said as he turned his attention to his guildmates. “You’ve already met Blayke, so no introduction needed there.”

Blayke rolled his eyes rudely while Faelen giggled into his hand.

“So let me introduce to you Faelen, our rover. And his wolf companion Nashoba.”

Faelen squeaked softly and a light blush skittered across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He stood to attention rigidly as Ramus turned his attention to him. “Um, hi?” he squeaked while Nashoba just tilted his head to the side in a way that doggies do when they were confused.

“Nice to meet you,” Ramus said in return with a small smile that was not only polite, but genuine.

“Fiorello, our botanist.”

Fiorello gave Ramus his signature cheeky grin. “Charmed, I’m sure.”

“A pleasure,” Ramus said in return though he looked bemused by Fiorello’s grin.

“Kamali, our warlock.”

Kamali clutched the wooden box containing pieces of their treasure cache and bowed forward slightly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” Ramus immediately returned, sounding like a true prince.

“Caelem, our masurao.”

Caelem immediately stood to attention and looked rather intimidated to be perfectly honest. He must be overwhelmed by the fact that he was being introduced to a prince. “I-it’s an honour to m-meet you,” he managed to stutter.

That previous genuine smile returned to Ramus’ lips and he nodded his head in greeting. “And you,” he said simply.

“Zohar, our necromancer.”

Zohar’s expression remained unchanged as he simply nodded his head as a form of greeting. To which was returned by Ramus, also choosing not to utter a word. Probably out of politeness though he could also be a tad intimidated.

“And finally, our two dedicated scholars Ashton and Shashi.”

Both Ashton and Shashi chose not to verbally respond, instead simply nodded their heads in greeting as well. And again, Ramus returned their greeting with one of his own.

Now that the necessary introductions were out of the way, time to get to the real reason why they were gathered in Ramus’ office. He was sure to be getting antsy with wonder himself. So best put him out of his misery, right?

“Ok, with that done, let’s get to it,” Drayce said as he carefully removed the thin twine keeping the Radiant Moon safely covered. And instead of explaining to Ramus what was hiding beneath the cloth, he simply unfurled it, letting it drop to the floor to pool by his feet.

And Ramus reacted just as he thought he would; his eyes widen, his breath seemed to hitch in his throat as his mouth dropped opened. “Th-that’s-!”

“Yeah,” Drayce said with a smile and a tilt of his head. “It’s the Radiant Moon of Compassion.”

Ramus hurried forward toward the Radiant Moon and paused just before it. He reached out his hand as if to touch it but unexpectedly pulled his hand back. Almost afraid to touch it. Though his reaction was somewhat unexpected, it was still understandable. Touching it would make it real and he was still in that state of shock where he wasn’t quite believing what he was seeing.

He soon turned his gaze up toward Drayce and rightfully started to bombard him with questions. “How did you find this? Where was it hiding all these years? Did the Moon Legacy lead you to it? What of the Forgotten Princess? What-?”

Drayce chuckled and held up his hand. “I’ll explain everything, but take a breath first! Maybe you should take a seat as well?”

Ramus flushed from embarrassment and snapped his mouth shut. He still looked at Drayce expectantly, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and pure excitement. “M-my apologises, but I’m fine. Please tell me everything.”

Drayce smiled. “Well, to answer your questions, we were only able to find the Radiant Moon during the night of the full moon. It was hidden beneath the waters of the first floor and only by the light of the full moon would it show itself. The Moon Legacy didn’t lead us directly to the Radiant Moon’s location, rather to a stone treasure chest also hidden on the first floor of Yggdrasil. Inside that treasure chest we discovered documentation and scrolls about the life of the Forgotten Princess.”

He quickly motioned toward all the books and parchments being held by his guildmates before he turned his focus back to Ramus. “Before and after the Radiant Moon was taken.”

“The Radiant Moon had been waiting within the first floor all this time?” Ramus questioned, sounding almost breathless. “It was…so close?”

“Yeah,” Drayce replied. “But it’s here now. It’s home.”

Ramus fell silent as his gaze focused upon the Radiant Moon and unexpectedly his voice seemed to hitch in his throat. “You’re right. It is…home now. And I promise, to you and the Radiant Moon, that it will be protected here.”

Yeah, Drayce was more than certain he would take good care of it.

“And what of those documents?” Ramus questioned once more. “What information do they contain?”

“Shashi’s our symbolist,” Drayce suddenly explained as Shashi took a step forward with his trusty notebook in his hands. “He’ll be better equipped at explaining to you what information the documents and scrolls held.”

He was probably better at explaining things period because Drayce himself is prone to getting excited and just blurting things out. He hadn’t so far but he was just itching to!

“I’ll keep things brief, shall I? All this information is found in these documents, so feel free to have your own scholars to read,” Shashi asked with a half-smile as Ramus mutely nodded his head again.

“Very well,” Shashi continued as he flipped open his notebook and began to read. “It seems from the books we recovered that this Forgotten Princess, or rather Princess Lilith, had indeed stolen the Radiant Moon out of pure jealousy. But the Moon Mage and her brother, Prince Ariston, your ancestor, was able to maintain their close friendship and maintain the ties between the two races regardless.

The Radiant Moon had been crafted from the Moon Mage's own spiritual and psychic power, not to mention his empathy. He knew that Prince Ariston had a good heart while Princess Lilith, at that time in her life, was greatly prone to the dark emotions such as jealousy, rage, and pettiness. Which is the reason why he gifted the Radiant Moon to Prince Ariston instead of Princess Lilith like he had initially been instructed to do so. However, it was also because of his spirit infusing with the Radiant Moon that allowed it to become a sentinel being and flee from the princess's grasp by itself.”

Ramus’ gaze flickered over to the Radiant Moon and he furrowed his brow ever so slightly in confusion. “A sentinel being?”

“Took a consciousness of its own,” Shashi explained as he flipped a page in his notebook. “It is likely that the devas of the moonstones the Moon Mage used to craft the Radiant Moon also had a hand in it. It hid itself within the labyrinth's first floor to await a being it felt held compassion in their heart.”

Shashi suddenly snapped his notebook shut and folded his arms loosely over his chest. “In other words, waited for Drayce to come along to search for it.”

“Huh?” Drayce uttered as he immediately turned to face Shashi and to give him a look of utter confusion. “Me?”

“Don't be surprised,” Shashi tutted with a half-smile. “You've done nothing but express compassion and kindness since you stepped foot inside of Iorys. It is no surprise at all that the Radiant Moon presented itself to you after being hidden for almost a thousand years. You were the only one who was able to witness its pure moonlight, after all.”

Drayce was honestly left speechless after that. “That's...”

Shashi shook his head slightly as he turned toward Kamali, who of which handed to him the wooden chest that held the Silver Tiara and folded piece of paper. Shashi retrieve the box, placed it upon Ramus’ chest and removed the cloth keeping it hidden.

Once more Ramus made a sound of surprise. “Is that…?”

“The Silver Tiara,” Drayce managed to answer after he found his voice and watched as Shashi carefully lifted the lid. “The one that Princess Lilith wore when she was a princess.”

Ramus shuffled toward his desk to gaze upon the tiara. “What of Princess Lilith?” he asked as he lifted his gaze back toward Shashi. “What had happened to her during all this time?”

“Her life after her banishment is documented fully in her journals,” Shashi explained as he idly motioned in the direction of the piles of books that Blayke, Caelem, and Zohar carried. “It would be far more educational for you to read for yourself. You’ll be interested, I’m sure.”

“Oh, yes,” Ramus immediately responded as he turned his gaze to the books. “I’ll have them all safely placed within the treasure room here in the Council Hall. Along with the Radiant Moon and the Silver Tiara. I’ve…honestly wondered why a certain cabinet in that room remained empty…”

Ramus suddenly trailed off and an unexpected look of disbelief appeared on his face. He was no doubt just realising the significance of what he just said. About the Radiant Moon and Silver Tiara returning to the treasure room.

To be honest the significance hadn’t quite registered with Drayce yet either! It was absolutely amazing to have the Radiant Moon and the documentation and proof of Princess Lilith’s royal life back where they belong. And after so many years…

“One more thing before we officially return the Radiant Moon of Compassion back to the royal family,” Shashi suddenly said as he carefully picked up the folded piece of paper and began to read from it. “A letter from the Moon Mage himself sums this up nicely, if I do say so myself.”

_Dear one, perhaps this is the first time we speak. I, the author of this small annotation, am known simply as the Moon Mage._

_And I wish to thank you for all that you’ve done. For if you are reading this note then you have recovered and protected the Radiant Moon of Compassion. My legacy. My gift to the Earthlain royal family._

_The Radiant Moon was crafted with the intention of compassion. To reach out to those most affected by the Legendary War. I wished for nothing more than to help bring light into the shadows of fear and judgement. It was nothing more than compassion that brought me to Ariston’s side. Compassion was what extended my hand to him. Present to him the Radiant Moon of Compassion._

_But it was jealousy that took the Radiant Moon from his hands and mine._

_Though I had feared for the Radiant Moon, a symbol of compassion I had crafted myself, I soon realised that it was not the sceptre that brought peace to our two races. It was my friendship with Prince Ariston. Our combined understanding, empathy and compassion for one another were what strengthened our ties._

_It took the theft of the Radiant Moon for me to truly understand that. So, I do suppose in some way, I am grateful. And I am certain that the Radiant Moon itself also saw this as an opportunity to prove to ourselves that we stand on our own feet. After all, with the moonstones carrying my intent, it surely would have returned to me, would it not?_

_I hold no ill emotions towards Lilith. Young, angry, and afraid. She committed a crime and received her punishment. Harsh, perhaps cruel to some. And yet from that misfortune, from that one mistake, she, herself, grew wiser, stronger, and more compassionate._

_It truly is strange, is it not? Strange how one decision, one negative event could lead to such positive outcomes over time? My bond with Prince Ariston grew while Lilith created a life all of her own within the world of her people._

_Was that fate? Or perhaps the Radiant Moon’s doing? I truly do not know._

_But I do know this. You, the gentle soul who have discovered the Radiant Moon of Compassion and cradled the Silver Tiara in your hands; you are truly beloved and compassionate._

_Continue to pour forth the spiritual strength needed to liberate those from lower vibrational energies of spite and jealousy. Shift into the vibration of freedom, peace, and love – where you naturally belong._

_Continue to grow and allow no one to dim your bright spirit._

_I am forever in your debt._

_Always, Moon Mage_

The room fell into a prolonged silence as Shashi carefully folded the Moon Mage’s note and placed it back within the chest cradling the Silver Tiara.

“Now,” Shashi once again spoke suddenly as he turned his attention toward Ramus. “Would you like for us to deliver these wondrous treasures to your treasure room or would you rather call for someone to take them from our hands?”

Ramus glanced over to Shashi almost in a daze before he seemed to snap out of his trance and straightened his posture. “Yes, of course!” he automatically replied. “I would be most honoured if you were the ones to carry these…treasures to our treasure room.”

Drayce couldn’t help but chuckle as he felt the Radiant Moon gentle shimmer under his hands. “The Radiant Moon agrees with this idea. It’s time to put the Silver Tiara to rest as well.”

… … … … …

It was just after sunset as Drayce found his way into the treasure room of the Council Hall once more. Though usually off-limits to the general public (and honestly for good reason as it wasn’t called the treasure room for nothing!) they made exception for him. Usually, being allowed to enter a place literally called the treasure room would have Drayce running around like an idiot inspecting all the treasures and trinkets that could be found.

Instead though he found himself rooted in front of the gold and silver display cabinet that held the Radiant Moon, nestled tall and proud behind the pane of clear glass. And with it, proudly displayed on a large cushion of red velvet sat the Silver Tiara.

Both treasures seemed to glow brilliantly now that they were together, side by side, and within the safe walls of the Council Hall. They were surely to be shipped off to the Earthlain Royal Family at a later stage, but for now they were content with where they were.

The scrolls and documents found with the Silver Tiara were eagerly snatched up by the royal scholars and advisors and Ramus took possession of the journals. The scholars had wanted to inspect them first, but Ramus wouldn’t be deterred. It was actually cute having him go all royal on them in a stubborn, nearly childish way.

Drayce and the others had been rewarded handsomely for their significant discoveries. He wasn’t entirely sure how much money they all but threw at him, but from Ashton’s almost disbelieving reaction it was a lot.

So clearly enough for them to head to the market place, stock up on food and have a celebration of their own back at the Crescentia. They deserved it after all. Everyone had worked hard together to finally bring the Radiant Moon of Compassion home.

The sound of footsteps approaching him pulled Drayce from his thoughts and he glanced over his shoulder in idle curiosity to see who it was. But he turned to the side when he realised that Ramus was the one walking towards him.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” he said as his gaze shifted to the treasures.

“They are,” Drayce answered as Ramus moved to stand beside him and he turned to look as well. “Especially now that they’re both home and safe.”

Next to him, Ramus nodded his head before he unexpectedly shifted nervously on his feet and he held his hands together in front of him. “I read the diaries,” he admitted as he turned to look up at him. “You...You're a Pendragon, aren't you?”

Drayce looked at him and nodded his head. “Yeah. Aura and Astrio are my ancestors,” he replied honestly. “I can't know for sure, of course since it was a long time ago. But my family crest is on their family tomb.” He lifted his hand and pressed it over his heart. “And I feel it in my heart that we are related.”

“Then that means...”

Again, Drayce nodded. “Hm. We're distant relations. But I have treasure hunting blood running through my veins, and you have royal blood. Aura wanted nothing more than her children and children's children to live long, fulling lives as notorious and rebellious treasure hunters. And that's who I am.”

Ramus fell silent as he dropped his gaze toward the floor and seemed to wring his hands together in front of him. “Yes,” he finally uttered after being lost to his own musings for a short while. “I'm grateful for that.” He lifted his gaze back toward Drayce and smiled softly at him. “Perhaps this is a sign? A gift from Aura to finally have our two families together once more. Working side by side.”

“I like to think so, too,” Drayce immediately replied with a smile of his own. “I'm proud of how much she learnt and how much she had grown.”

“As am I,” Ramus also responded quickly. “I can only hope that I will be as courageous as her. And as compassionate as her brother and the Moon Mage.”

Drayce’s smile softened as a thought occurred to him. “Shashi said that the Radiant Moon waited for me but I don’t think that’s entirely true. It wasn't just me that the Radiant Moon waited for. It was waiting for a compassionate ruler to return to. It was waiting for the both of us.”

“That's...” Ramus breathed as he eyes widen slightly. He fell silent for a short moment before a soft and wholly genuine smile slipped across his lips and he turned to face Drayce fully. “I see. Hm. I'm glad.”

Drayce turned to face the little prince as well and tilted his head to the side as a grin slipped across his own lips. “Well, one missing chapter to the royal achieves has been discovered. Let's see what else we can find.”

Ramus chuckled as he held out his hand toward Drayce. “Yes, I look forward to it.”

Drayce eagerly took Ramus’ hand in his and with that simply but meaningful shake of their hands, he knew that whatever he faced in the future, he could count of Ramus and his extraordinary guildmates to see it through with him.

And he really couldn’t wait for his next adventure!


End file.
